Fight, Fight Again, and Keep Fighting
by weasleychick32
Summary: George, Hermione, and a mysterious third party have been sent back in time by an ancient Egyptian Goddess to when Voldemort thrived and a day did not go by without another shadowy death or disappearance. There are some familiar faces in their new present who are willing to befriend them and put their lives on the line to help them defeat Voldemort and really the sooner the better.
1. Ch 1: Jokes

**Fight, Fight Again, and Keep Fighting**

**Full Summary:**

Hermione Granger and George Weasley have been sent back in time. Thanks to a death eater attack they stumble upon a time rip in an ancient Egyptian pyramid. What time could they possibly be sent to other than the Marauder Era? Will George be able to convince Hermione to let them change the past and save Fred, not to mention countless others? Will they survive another war? There's one way to find out and if you're anything like Hermione the burning of the unanswered questions will compel you to keep reading.

**Disclaimer! I own nothing. JK is the mastermind behind the Harry Potter universe.**

Chapter 1: Jokes

"Hello? George, are you in here?" Hermione called out tentatively as she entered the back door of the dark, empty shop. She clutched her wand tightly in her hand. War had taught her to always prepare for the worst and even now, after several months of peace, she had yet to shake the habit. Constant vigilance as Mad-Eye always says. Or he still would anyway. If he had survived the war.

Hermione crept quietly up the stairs to the living apartment that Fred and George used to share. The silent shop had Hermione on edge. The few times she had been here it had been bursting with life. Colors, noises, smells, people, and most of all laughter were all typically found in abundance at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Even in the height of war there was still joy to be found here. Not tonight. As it was only seven in the evening on a Saturday Hermione had thought for sure the shop would be open and thriving, especially this near to Christmas.

Hermione reached the landing at the top of the stairs. She noticed the door to her right was slightly ajar. Thinking to herself how odd it was that the door was left open and that the ground level door she had entered through was unlocked her anxiety increased ten-fold. Outside the door Hermione steeled herself. She expected to see either the body of her friend in that room or one of the death eaters who had yet to be captured by the ministry. Hermione, deciding that the element of surprise might be the best approach, threw the door open so hard it embedded itself in the opposing wall. Wand gripped in front of her, Hermione stormed into the room doing a quick cursory search that turned up nothing. No one was here.

Not ready to believe she was safe, Hermione quickly and efficiently searched the rest of the small flat. She left no closet unchecked and even thought to check behind the shower curtain in the bathroom. Her search turned up nothing; nothing except the inert form lying on the bed under the comforter. Attempting to keep her wand and her ragged breathing steady Hermione slowly pulled back the heavy blanket hoping to Merlin that her friend's lifeless body wasn't underneath.

The first thing her brain took in was the shock of bright red hair. Next, she noticed the steady rise and fall of his chest. It was George and he was alive and perfectly well. There was not a scratch on him. Hermione let out a deep breath of relief she hadn't realized she had been holding in. Her heart was still pounding from the adrenaline rush and she felt a headache coming on from the stress of the last few minutes. Hands shaking, she checked the pulse in George's neck just to reassure herself that he was indeed alive.

It was then that the questions came. Why was the shop closed but the backdoor unlocked? Why didn't George shut the apartment door? Had someone been here already and left? Why hadn't George woken up to her calls when she first arrived? Hermione decided that the only way to get the answers was to ask George himself and Hermione, being Hermione, was not able to stand having unanswered questions. So, naturally, she began gently shaking his shoulder to get him to wake up.

"George, it's me, Hermione. Wake up. Wake up, George. I need to talk to y-". Hermione's words ended in a shriek as a hand grabbed her wrist and yanked her on top of the bed.

"George!" Hermione squealed. "Let me go this instant! You're not being funny! I thought you had been attacked you great buffoon! Just you wait until I talk to Molly about this."

"Okay, okay! I surrender oh great wilder of threats. Just please don't tell my mummy on me!" George pleaded sarcastically and ended with a cackle as Hermione rolled off the top of him.

"That was a mean joke George Weasley!" Hermione shouted as she straightened her clothes and brushed her bushy brown hair out of her pink face. "I thought you were dead! I came in here expecting the worst. You should know better than to pull a prank like this after- after everything." Hermione chocked back a sob. The adrenalin was fading quickly. It had initially been replaced by anger, but that was quickly melting away to a new emotion Hermione couldn't identify. It was a mixture of fear, relief, and a great sadness.

"Hey Hermione, don't cry." George said getting out of the bed and putting his arm around Hermione's shoulders. "I just meant it to be a joke. I didn't expect you to come in here all warrior woman to slay the evil foe that dared attack George Weasley."

"I know that now," Hermione snapped, shoving George's arm off of her. Her anger was quickly resurfacing. "What was I supposed to think after just finishing a war and I come here to find a deserted shop and unlocked and open doors? That everything was just fine and dandy and Mr. Weasley here thought he'd have a bit of a laugh at my expense? Sorry if that wasn't my initial reaction."

"I said it was an accident! Excuse me for forgetting you can't take a joke," George shot back.

"Can't take a joke? I can take jokes. It's just normally they have to qualify as funny before being classified as a joke and that wasn't funny." Hermione's anger was quickly rising yet again with George being on the unfortunate receiving end. George, seeing this, decided that it was time for a change of topic.

"What are you even doing here anyway? It's not like you've been invited. I wouldn't have even known you were coming if the wards I have set up hadn't warned me in advance."

"So sorry. I didn't realize I had to have an invitation to visit nowadays. That must be why no one has seen much of you lately. You don't go visit anyone and you certainly don't go around handing out invites now do you?" At this Hermione focused her best glare at George who finally had to good sense to look abashed. "Furthermore," Hermione continued, "I've been sent by your mother who hasn't seen hide nor hair of you for weeks. Seems every time she comes by for a chat you're out or too busy with the shop to give her the time of day. She was just wanting me to make sure that you actually are planning on showing up to the family dinner next week, you know, since you missed the last one," Hermione finished harshly.

George was looking pretty miserable by the end of her speech. "You know why I can't go," George mumbled to the floor. "I just can't stomach it. Without Fred-" George cut himself off abruptly and turned away from Hermione running his hands furiously through his hair. Hermione's fury once again melted away. It was replaced this time with a deep sympathy.

"George, I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you. I was just upset. You scared me," Hermione took a tentative step toward him.

"Fine," was all George had to say in response, stepping away from Hermione's advances.

"What's fine?" Hermione asked, confused.

"Fine, I'll go to dinner next week," George says nonchalantly, turning back to face her. "Now that you've made your point and won the battle will you please leave? I have some work to get done before I open shop tomorrow."

"Umm ok then," Hermione replies wrong footed by his sudden change in demeanor. "I'll be here at 6 then next Thursday".

"What? Why will you be coming here? I don't need a babysitter," George responds indignantly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Well to make sure you don't go back on your word of course. Your mother is quite adamant that you come to Christmas dinner. It's a good thing you agreed because the next step would have been drugging you and dragging you to dinner anyway," Hermione responded with a casual wink over her shoulder as she reached for the door handle. All George managed in response was to open his mouth with an angry retort hot on his tongue before Hermione yanked the door open and was thrown backwards from the force of an explosion that rocked the entire building.

_**A/N**_

_**FEEDBACK PLEASE!**_

**This is my first fanfic. My sister informed me that it's just not right of me to have an account and never post anything of my own, so here it goes. I really hope you like it. The first chapter (I think) does a good job showing you how the future is post 2nd war. Let me know what you think! I can only get better if you tell me what I'm doing wrong (in a nice way of course). If you don't, I'll just keep doing the same thing I'm doing now. _REVIEW!_**


	2. Ch 2: Into the Pyramid

**A/N**

**Just so you all know chapter one was edited a bit on 8/10/12 around noon central time. If you read it previous to this you should go back and review it. I had to cut out part of a scene that was a little too similar to a different story. Oh and BTW some mild cursing in this one. Just once I think. Happy Reading!**

**Previously…**

"_Well to make sure you don't go back on your word of course. Your mother is quite adamant that you come to Christmas dinner. It's a good thing you agreed because the next step would have been drugging you and dragging you to dinner anyway," Hermione responded with a casual wink over her shoulder as she reached for the door handle. All George managed in response was to open his mouth with an angry retort hot on his tongue before Hermione yanked the door open and was thrown backwards from the force of an explosion that rocked the entire building._

**Chapter 2: Into the Pyramid**

Hermione flew through the air and slammed into George. They both crumpled to the ground. George attempted to jump to his feet only to almost fall back onto Hermione as his leg gave out. Groaning and clutching his twisted knee George helped Hermione to her feet. Hermione was in good shape. She just had a few cuts on her arms and face from the shrapnel, most of which was tangled in her hair.

"W-what was that?" Hermione asked shakily. Smoke was pouring in through the open door. They could hear screams coming from outside the building on the street.

"Haven't a clue," George ground out through the pain in his leg as he limped to the door. He stuck his head out the door only to immediately pull it back in and slam the door.

"The stairs are completely blocked. There's a fire. We need to apparate out. Just give me a mo' to take down the wards." George took his wand out of his robes and began waving his wand in intricate patterns and mumbling under his breath.

Hermione took the chance to glance out the window and gasped at what she saw. Theirs was not the only building ablaze. There were at least three others that she could see. People ran in fear from the chaos. That was when she noticed the small group in dark robes with masks over their faces. They were striking down anyone within range and laughing at their own destruction. Just as the rage was setting in there were several loud cracks and the aurors appeared on the scene. The death eaters were no longer laughing, but either dueling angrily or running in fear.

"Cowards." Hermione jumped. She hadn't noticed George coming up behind her and looking over her shoulder out the window. "We should get going. That fire is getting close," George said, still glaring over her head and out the window.

"You're right. Where should we go?" Hermione asked. Before George could answer a loud crack resounded throughout the apartment. George and Hermione ducked as a bright green spell flew over their heads and shattered the window. They whipped out their wands in a shower of glass and both cast stunning spells at the cloaked figure now standing in the middle of the small living room. The death eater easily blocked both spells and strode forward menacingly.

Hermione quickly glanced around. They were corned in a burning apartment. Smoke was now pouring under the door and the door was glowing red hot. The death eater definitely had the advantage here. Hermione and George could hardly move their arms to cast any curses let alone dodge. Realizing their only realistic option at the same moment, George and Hermione reached for each other's hands in unison and spun on the spot just in time to miss another green curse. Both had different destinations in mind.

Pain. Horrible, blinding pain. That was all Hermione knew once they had reached wherever it was that they were. Groaning she attempted to identify where the pain was coming from. Looking down at her hip she noticed her clothes were soaked with blood. Cautiously she lifted her T-shirt, hissing in pain as the soft cotton stuck in the wound.

"Hermione? Where are we?" George's voice groaned from somewhere to her right. "This is definitely not the Burrow."

Hermione didn't answer, but George must have caught her gasp of pain because the next instant he had lit his wand and dragged his battered body over to her.

"Hermione what's wrong? Were you splinched? Shit…" George muttered the last as he caught sight of her clothes drenched in blood.

"I- In my b-bag… Essence… Dittany. Accio it..." Hermione managed to choke out through the pain. Her face was completely white but George couldn't tell if it was from the shock, pain, or blood loss. Regardless, George scurried into action. He grabbed the bag from around her wrist and called out in a strong voice that didn't betray the panic he felt inside, "Accio Dittany".

"Now… Clean the- the w-w-wound. Then... four drops…" Hermione was struggling to stay conscious. George pointed his wand at Hermione's hip and a stream of water sprayed out. Hermione hissed in pain and tears ran down her face.

"Merlin. That s-st-stings," she managed between sobs.

"I'm sorry Hermione. Here comes the Dittany. Brace yourself." George tried to comfort her as he dropped the Dittany onto her wound. It smoked and hissed as Hermione cried from the pain. As the wound sealed itself Hermione's sobbing eased.

"There that's better isn't it? It already looks weeks old now it'll be ok." George was doing his best to sooth his friend while inside his adrenaline was still pumping. He still wasn't sure where they were. It was pitch black except for light from his wand. The floor was rough and seemed to be made of stone, but not like the smooth worn stone at Hogwarts. This floor didn't seem to be well traveled on like at Hogwarts. Hermione groaned again drawing his attention back to the girl crumpled on the ground in front of him.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"I really don't know. I was just trying to figure it out. Where were you trying to go anyway?" George asked her curiously.

"My flat in Hogsmead," Hermione replied. "You?"

"The Burrow of course," George said rolling his eyes.

"So we could be anywhere right now?" Hermione asked tentatively.

"I guess. I've never heard of what would happen when two people try to side-along each other to different places at the same time." George replied, scratching his head in thought. Hermione tried to sit up to get a look around, but was hit by a wave of dizziness and immediately laid back down.

"Urgh. I think I need a blood replenishing potion." She mumbled. "I have such a headache." George looked a little concerned at this.

"Well I'll just have a looksie around then shall I?"

"Alright. Just be careful would you?" Hermione warned looking at him dubiously. George put a hand to his chest in pretend hurt.

"Am I ever anything else Hermione dearest?" Hermione raised her eyebrows.

"You don't really want me to answer that."

"Right-o, I don't!" George flashed a grin at Hermione before walking off in the seemingly cavernous room taking the light with him. With the realization that she really didn't want to be alone in the dark, especially when she didn't know where she was, she began groping around her for her wand. She had it in her hand when they disapparated so it must have fallen around her somewhere. Finally, her hand collided with the thin piece of wood.

"Lumos," she whispered in the eerie silence of the room. It was a huge room made entirely of stone. She was rather close to one of the walls and could see there was some kind of writing on it. From her vantage point on the floor she tried to get her wand light close enough to make out what it said.

Her eyes widened as she realized that it wasn't writing. It was runes. Muggles often misclassified these as hieroglyphics. She managed to identify a few, harmony, justice, truth, before George came barreling back to where she lay. His face was extremely pale and his freckles stood out more sharply than usual.

"I know where we are," he announced dramatically. "And it's not good."

"Where?" Hermione asked fearfully. It wasn't often that you'd see George this concerned over something.

"We're inside a pyramid. I think I recognize this one from one that we visited after dad won that prize money from the Ministry summer before 5th year. There are curses all over the place. It's incredibly booby tapped. I remember Fred and me laughing about whoever had the misfortune to stumble across one of these without someone who knew what they were doing." George finished with a hollow laugh.

Hearing his speech, Hermione went even more pale than she had been before if that was possible.

"So-So how do we get out? We can't be stuck here!" She was almost hysterical at this point. Trapped in a cursed pyramid! It doesn't get much worse than that.

"Well… I don't know… I know they have disapparation wards up. Thought it would be funny I expect. Wizards and witches wander in thinking they can just pop out if anything too bad starts to happen only to find out they're stuck. You can get in but you can't get out."

"What?! They thought it'd be funny? We're trapped! Wait what about the tours? Is there one tomorrow? They could let us out," Hermione suggested desperately. George, looking uncomfortable with answering said, "Actually, the tours are only during the summer months… Winter doesn't bring in as many interested-" Hermione cut him off with a wail.

"Nooooo," she moaned with her hands over her face. "We survive the most evil wizard of the century just to starve to death in a cursed pyramid." She let out a mournful, sarcastic laugh. "Figures." George gave her a half smile as he sank down on the floor next to her.

"Well I suppose we should make the most of what time we have left," Hermione suggested half heartedly. George sent her a confused look.

"And what is it you suggest we do? Tell each other jokes to pass the time? Prank each other? I didn't bring any supplies…" He mumbled the last to himself with a frown. Hermione laughed.

"No, of course not! That's not what I meant at all. I was just reading these runes over here before you came back. They are very interesting and I thought we could expand our knowledge by finding out exactly what the ancient Egyptian people had to say that was so important to carve in stone…" Hermione trailed off already immersed in translating the runes. She was so immersed that she missed the incredulous look George was aiming at her.

"I should have known," he complained to himself. "I guess I forgot for a moment who I was talking to. Of course Hermione Granger would want to spend her last hours of life reading. What was I thinking? Well maybe the end will be faster this way. I can see the heading on the tombstone now. 'George Weasley, Prankster Extraordinaire, Bored to Death in a Cursed Pyramid.' It'll be fabulous. If Fred wasn't already dead he'd laugh himself to death," George lamented dramatically.

"Oh hush you," Hermione scolded flapping her arm at him. "I'm trying to concentrate." She had managed to scoot her self up to the wall while George had been whining to himself and was now using it to keep herself upright. "Hmmm. This one isn't a rune, or at least one that I recognize. It looks like it's just a drawing of a woman. And these runes here seem to be describing her. Truth, justice, and harmony. Hmmm," she muttered to herself.

"Oh hey that sounds familiar. Sounds like one of the Egyptian goddesses they were telling us about. I don't remember the names, but the truth and justice thing sounds familiar… Where's her picture?" Hermione pointed out the picture of a black haired woman in a red dress with mild surprise. She looked like any other drawing except for the feather on her head.

"Yeah that's her," George said peering closely at the rather large drawing. "She's got that feather on her head because of something about keeping the balance of things. Like if evil got too powerful she was there to make sure good got its foothold and things got back in balance." Hermione was looking at George in blatant surprise now. "What? I do pay attention sometimes," George told her after he noticed the look on her face. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Alright then. If you pay so much attention then what's this here. It looks like some kind of chant or incantation they're trying. The translation is 'Daughter of the sun, the balance is lost, heal us' Then there's some Latin, 'veritatem, iustitia, concordia'. Do you know-"

Hermione's question was cut short by a strange whooshing sound and her hair being whipped around her face. Looking around George looked nervous too. Neither knew what was going on. It was then that Hermione noticed the eyes were glowing on the drawing of the goddess. As she stared the lips seemed to move and she heard Latin words ring throughout the room over the now deafening noise of the wind. Although the words were spoken in Latin Hermione could somehow understand what they meant, "You will return the balance".

With wide eyes Hermione turned to George and could tell by the shocked look on his face when their eyes met that he had understood the words also. Fearing what those words meant Hermione grabbed George's hand just as a dreadful tearing noise echoed throughout the room. Hermione's grip increased dramatically on George's hand. He might have told her to lay off had he not been so terrified himself.

A jagged white light appeared in the middle of the room leaving a gaping jagged hole where it hit with the same bright light pouring out of it. Just then the wind stopped swirling around the room and instead blew from behind the two young adults shoving them towards the blindingly bright hole. Hermione shrieked and George let out a yell of surprise both scrambling back against the wind. There was nothing to hold onto except each other, not that that did them any good.

Hermione hit the ground first dragging George with her. Frantically they scrambled to find any kind of purchase on the rough stone, but the wind was just too strong. Their arms and hands were quickly becoming scraped and bloody making it even more difficult to hold on. Then suddenly, as if the room had grown impatient, the floor gave an almighty lurch sending them both flying straight for the hole and through it. The two friends collided into each other in midair and quickly grasped the other's hand as they fell spinning and spinning to what they were sure would be their deaths.

**A/N**

**Hey guys. I hoped you liked it. I feel like I'm setting the standard. I hope I can keep the rest of the story this action packed. And while I'm at it maybe I'll let you guys have a chapter or two that doesn't end in a cliff hanger. ;-P As always I need feedback so REVIEW and let me know your thoughts!**


	3. Ch 3: Conversations and Explanations

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing! JK owns the Harry Potter universe in its entirety!**

**Previously…**

Hermione hit the ground first dragging George with her. Frantically they scrambled to find any kind of purchase on the rough stone, but the wind was just too strong. Their arms and hands were quickly becoming scraped and bloody making it even more difficult to hold on. Then suddenly, as if the room had grown impatient, the floor gave an almighty lurch sending them both flying straight for the hole and through it. The two friends collided into each other in midair and quickly grasped the other's hand as they fell spinning and spinning to what they were sure would be their deaths.

**Chapter 3: Conversations and Explanations**

"They were found unconscious in the middle of Hogsmead Headmaster. The villagers thought they might be students here and promptly sent for Holly. You know how Holly is. She can't refuse a patient whether they be student or otherwise. So of course she brought them up knowing that she's never seen them before in her life. And she knows just about every student, especially the older ones."

"Yes I do know how she is, thank you Minerva. I myself don't believe I have ever seen these two before and I tend to think I have a decent memory, especially when it comes to my students. Have Holly inform me when they awaken and are healthy enough to tell me their story," Dumbledore responded.

"Of course Headmaster," said Professor McGonagall.

Hermione groaned inwardly. Her body ached everywhere. It wasn't unbearable pain, but it was highly uncomfortable. Every one of her muscles felt like they had been abused most carelessly. Her head was pounding and she couldn't open her eyes without them being assaulted by the brilliant white light of the room she was currently in. She didn't know where she was or how she got there, but somehow her instincts were telling her she was safe.

She knew she wasn't dead. Death couldn't be this uncomfortable. Dying certainly, but being dead had to be peaceful. With death ruled out she wasn't sure what to think. How was that conversation she heard possible? It sounded like Dumbledore. McGonagall referred to him as Headmaster. But Dumbledore was dead. He shouldn't be walking around, talking to teachers, or inquiring about her health. And that brought her to yet another problem. He didn't recognize her.

After seven years of her being one of Harry Potter's best friends, never mind the top marks in everything, you would think he'd remember her. As Dumbledore himself just said, he had a fairly good memory, especially for students. She could only think the second person he was referring to, the one she was found with, would be George. And he would certainly recognize half of the duo that was famous for their pranks all throughout their Hogwarts career. The ones who left in the middle of their final year on broomsticks, leaving behind a swamp in one of the hallways. You would think the headmaster would remember.

Then again maybe the deceased headmaster wasn't referring to her and George at all. Maybe there was someone else there with her. After all, all she remembered prior to returning to consciousness was the bright white light of the hole she and George had been thrust into and the sensation of falling. Summoning up her Gryffindor courage, Hermione slowly began to open her eyes. Eyes open just the smallest crack; she turned her head to see her surroundings. Through her eyelashes she finally saw where she was. It was the Hogwarts infirmary. Of course that made sense. Whether Dumbledore was dead or alive, Hogwarts is where he'd always be. But what happened to Madam Pomfrey? Hermione knew her first name was Poppy, not Holly.

Taking a closer look at her surroundings, Hermione noticed George lying next to her in his own bed. His eyes were wide open. He saw Hermione squinting at him and smirked at her. Hermione resisted the urge to roll her eyes and instead looked beyond George to see that they were indeed the only ones in the Hospital Wing. Frowning, she went back to staring at the ceiling and thinking.

Before she got very deeply into her thoughts she was interrupted. An elderly woman with kind brown eyes and snow white hair had just emerged from her office.

"Well hello there. You're finally up I see. Tell me, how are you feeling?" she asked while preparing a handful of potions, no doubt to pour down their throats.

"I'm okay. Pretty sore all over and an intensive headache, but nothing a Pepperup potion couldn't cure," Hermione responded while studying the woman she had never met, but Dumbledore and McGonagall seemed to know quite well.

"A what dear? I hope that's not something you've attempted to invent on your own. Self-invented potions could have drastic side effects you know. Heaven knows I have enough of a job keeping up with what all Potter gets up to without having to worry about cleaning up after those kinds of accidents," the woman finished with a shudder. Hermione turned to look at George who was looking at Holly as though she had lost it and she was the last person he wanted nursing him back to health. He turned his gaze to Hermione when he noticed her looking at him and gave her and confused and extremely wary look.

Hermione turned back to see that Holly had finished gathering potions and was now setting quite a few on the small table beside Hermione's bed.

"Harry doesn't get into that much trouble you know. And when he does it's typically not his fault. And do you really not kno-," Hermione started, but was cut off by the nurse giving Hermione her own confused look and saying, "Who is Harry? I was talking about James. James Potter. Well and I suppose you might as well through in Sirius Black as well. You never see one without the other do you? And what with Quidditch injuries and their pranks they can't seem to go two days without, I tend to see rather a lot of them. Are you sure you're alright dear? You do look incredibly pale."

Hermione had felt all the blood drain from her face as she listened to Holly go on about James Potter and Sirius Black. There was almost an audible chink as everything fell into place. Now it all made sense. Looking back at George, she saw his mouth hanging open as he just stared at Holly. Catching her looking at him for the second time he finally shut his mouth and they exchanged a wide eyed look.

"Umm perhaps not," Hermione finally replied to the nurse's question. "I just started feeling a little dizzy there for a moment. I think I should rest for awhile longer."

"Of course dear, of course. Here, just take your potions before you drift off. You'll feel better soon," the nurse responded and began bustling about handing George his potions as well. "You as well young man. Drink up! Drink up!" George and Hermione dutifully began downing their many disgusting potions.

"There you are! You'll right as rain in no time. Now I'll just leave you two to sleep. Come get me from my office if you need anything."

Hermione's mind was whirling. She couldn't have slept had she wanted to. Her eyes searched the room for anything that could bring proof to her theory. Her eyes fell upon the cupboard that housed the potions that were used to cure the various ailments of Hogwarts students. There should be labels on those potions telling the nurse when they were no longer safe to use. Hermione quickly stood from her bed and had to immediately sit back down as her head began to spin and the floor beneath her feet began to roll.

"Hermione, what are you doing?" George asked from behind her. Hermione wordlessly shook her head and made a second attempt to stand. This time she was successful. She cautiously made her way to the cupboard that inconveniently for her was directly next to Holly's office door. She reached out her hand to grasp the handle, but before she could even touch it her hand was jerked backward by someone grasping her elbow and spinning her around. It was George.

"What?" Hermione hissed, glaring at him.

George merely raised his eyebrows and cast the muffilito charm on Holly's office door.

"Do you realize that if I hadn't stopped you from opening that cupboard an alarm would have gone off in Holly's office and we would have been kicked out of here faster than you could say skiving snack boxes?" George asked her quietly.

Hermione's cheeks flushed against her will. "So then we need to figure out what spell was used and how to disarm it."

George grinned mischievously. "That's easy. You're with a Weasley," he replied giving her a hearty wink. George turned to the cupboard and silently waved his wand a few times. "There you have it Miss Granger. Now you may snoop or steal to your hearts content," he told her with an exaggerated bow in her direction. Hermione merely rolled her eyes and grasped the cupboard's handle, pulling it open.

The inside if it was filled with all kinds of different potions in varying colors from the brightest blue to a murky chunky looking brown. An odd smell escaped the cupboard as the door swung open. More than likely the smell came from having so many foul potions in one place.

Hermione quickly began sorting through the potions. She would quickly skim the back of a potion before putting it back and examining another with a perpetual frown on her face. After the third one she began to mutter under her breath, but still loud enough for George to hear.

"5th November 1978. 12th January 1979. 2nd October 1978. 31st January 1978. 1978. 1978. 1978. George! I don't think were in 1998 anymore!" Hermione finally cried out on the verge of hysteria as she spun to face George again. She had a sort of desperate look in her eyes, like she wanted someone to tell her she was wrong. That they were in 1998 having an extremely vivid dream or even hallucination.

George gave her a kind of incredulous look. "You mean you didn't figure that out when Holly was talking about all the dead people roaming the halls? Gee Hermione, I thought you were supposed to be the brightest witch of your age. Well I guess you are exempt from that title now that we aren't in our time. I suppose that title belongs to someone else in this time."

Hermione sent a ferocious glare at him. "This is not the time for jokes!" she exclaimed. "We could change the future! We could ruin everything! How are we supposed to get home? We're in school with Harry's parents! What if we cause him to not exist? Who is going to defeat Vol-"

Hermione was interrupted by someone clearing their throat in the entrance to the hospital wing. Hermione and George spun around in unison only to gape at the man in the doorway. The man who was supposed to be dead. Albus Dumbledore looked remarkably the same as he had when he lived in their time with the possible exception of a few wrinkles. He had the same shining white beard, half moon spectacles, and twinkling blue eyes.

"Professor!" Hermione squeaked. "Wha- How long have you been standing there?" She asked, wringing her hands nervously.

"Miss Granger was it? I think this conversation would be better suited in my office. You two seem healthy enough for the trip if you're having no trouble breaking into the hospital's potions supplies," he told them, eyes twinkling all the while. Hermione looked slightly ashamed and then sighed in defeat.

"Of course professor."

"Well then, if you'll just follow me, although I daresay you more than likely already know the way," the headmaster winked at George before turning and exiting the room. Hermione glanced fearfully at George who grinned back and followed Dumbledore. Hermione sighed to herself and momentarily wondered what it would be like to have a peaceful life before following the men out into the corridor.

"George," Hermione hissed as she caught up to the red head. "We need to agree on what all to tell him."

"What all to tell him? The way I figure it we just tell him the truth. I don't see how we could get back without his help," George responded nonchalantly as he scanned the familiar hallways for things that might have been different in this time. "Hmmm, that tapestry there is different in our time, I wonder what happened to this one," George wondered aloud as he reached to move the tapestry aside. Hermione slapped his hand away from it.

"How could you think we can just tell him everything? We could change the future and cause more suffering than is already going to take place. Is that what you want?" Hermione snapped albeit quietly so as not to alert the headmaster to their conversation as they followed him down the corridor.

George rolled his eyes. "Of course not, Hermione. Do I look like dear old Voldy to you? I just said we should tell him the truth. Not the entire history of the future. Do you have any idea how to get back? Scratch that. Do you have any idea how we even got here in the first place? I sure as hell don't and I think Dumbledore could help us out a lot."

Hermione glared at the red haired man next to her and then sighed, accepting defeat. "Fine," she huffed. "But we only tell him about the circumstances leading to us arriving here, nothing else."

"Of course," George agreed, accepting her terms, not that he ever intended to reveal anything else. From that point on they traveled the corridors leading to the headmaster's office in silence.

"Exploding Bonbons." The gargoyles they had just reached leapt aside to reveal the moving staircase that leads to Dumbledore's office. The trio stepped onto the staircase and were soon at the door to said office.

"Please come in, take a seat. Exploding Bonbon?" Dumbledore offered them a bowl of innocent looking chocolates.

"No thanks," Hermione said eyeing the bowl warily. At the same time George said "Thanks!" and grabbed a bonbon. He looked at it closely and then shrugged and moved as though to pop it into his mouth. Before it quite made it inside his mouth the bonbon erupted in a chocolaty explosion that covered George's entire upper half.

"Urg!" Hermione shrieked as she shielded her face from the chocolate flying at her. There was a moment of silence which was broken by George's shout.

"Wicked! Where did you get those, professor?" he asked while wiping chocolate from his eyes. Dumbledore chuckled at his excitement before waving his wand and making all of the chocolate disappear from George and Hermione.

"Well there is a group here who call themselves the marauders and they love tricks and jokes. These bonbons were created by them and then promptly confiscated by our new caretaker Mr. Filch whom did not approve of the mess they were sure to create. I thought they were such a fun and creative bit of magic that I could not let them go to waste," Dumbledore answered George, his blue eyes twinkling and his lips turned up in a smile.

Hermione frowned a bit, quite agreeing with Filch for once. Those bonbons were just a giant mess waiting to happen.

"Is that what they're supposed to do then? Explode on the person trying to eat them?" George asked, incredibly curious about the trick sweets.

"That is part of the trick I believe. You have about 5 seconds from the moment you pick up the sweet to place it in your mouth before it explodes. If you happen to get it into your mouth before then it is quite literally an explosion of chocolate for your taste buds. Quite delicious. Although I have come to find that they are not entirely consistent. Some give you the 5 second time frame whereas others just explode the instant you touch them. It adds more to the prank I believe." Dumbledore explained all of this with a smile on his face while George sat on the edge of his seat, leaning forward, and hanging on every word.

"Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant," George said grinning happily. "I can't believe Fred and I never-," Hermione suddenly went into a coughing fit which shut George up at once. Dumbledore smiled at the young woman.

"Shall we get on with the intended discussion then? I feel we have sidetracked enough," Dumbledore said before steeping his fingers in his desk. "I overheard a fair bit of your conversation in the Hospital Wing so I have a fair idea of where you come from. My only questions are how and why?" Dumbledore stared intently at the two of them a serious expression on his face, although his eyes showed he was not angry, simply curious.

"Well professor, it is not exactly clear to us how or why either, but we can tell you the events leading up to us, umm, traveling here. Hopefully between the three of us we can figure out what happened and how to send us back," Hermione explained.

"Indeed Miss Granger. Let us hope this mystery is quickly and easily solved. Now, how is it that you have arrived here?"

By the end of jointly telling their tale, starting with the attack and ending with waking up in the hospital wing, the time travelers were exhausted. Dumbledore sat back for the longest time staring into space, a thoughtful look upon his face.

"What was it exactly that this goddess said to you before you fell through the hole?" Dumbledore enquired of the two. The pair looked at each other, silently asking if the other recalled perfectly what it was that had been said.

"Umm, it might be easier… Do you have your pensieve, Sir?" Hermione asked. "I'm positive the words are here in my head I just can't recall exactly…"

"Of course, Miss Granger. I thought the pensieve might have been the best way to tell the tale to begin with, but had the thought that there might be some things about the future that should be kept from me so I didn't suggest it," Dumbledore explained with a small smile.

Hermione nodded in agreement, "Of course there are, but this one should be safe." Dumbledore nodded.

"I feel I can trust your judgment Miss Granger," he said before sweeping off to the cabinet behind his desk.

"Thank you sir," Hermione said, proud of the high compliment. Dumbledore returned to his desk and placed the large carved bowl in front of Hermione.

"I expect you know how to extract and deposit your memory Miss Granger?" Dumbledore inquired. Hermione nodded in response.

"I understand the theory and I believe that should be enough to do a well enough job." George scoffed at Hermione.

"Of course you can! What can't you do? Just get on with it." Hermione scowled at him while Dumbledore's eyes twinkled all the more watching the pair. Hermione merely huffed and raised her wand to her head and closed her eyes in concentration. A wisp of white something stuck to the end of her wand and was pulled through her hair and she gently guided her wand over Dumbledore's pensieve. She shook the memory gently off her wand and watched as it floated down into the bowl of memories to join with Dumbledore's. She then prodded the swirling mass with the tip of her wand and a female voice rang throughout the room.

"You will return the balance." The trio sat silent in thought, pondering the words for several minutes.

"It almost sounds like," George started hesitantly, "like she wants us to change things. No hear me out," he said over Hermione's gasp of horror. "Our world, the future is pretty messed up. She wants us to return the balance. In the future evil has won too much. I mean sure good won the war, but at what cost? No family is whole. Darkness still hangs over us. No one truly knows what it's like to feel safe anymore. If we could change things with the knowledge we now have things could be so much better."

"Or entirely worse!" Hermione could not hold back any longer. "We don't know what effect our changes could have on the future as a whole. We could make something not happen that was crucial to us winning the war! We could make _someone_ who is entirely crucial for us to win the war not exist! Or he could be totally different. He could have had such a different childhood that leaves him totally unprepared for what he must face! Think George!"

"But Hermione! That prophecy hasn't even been made yet. We could make it so the fate of the world never has to rest on him! We could save so many people. His parents, your parents, Fred-," George couldn't continue past the emotion clogging his throat. Hermione, seemingly about to burst a moment before, rapidly deflated. A look of great empathy took residence on her face.

"Oh George. Is that what this is about?" She asked reaching out a hand to place consolingly on his arm as he stared at the floor, trying to control his emotion. "There's nothing we can do George. We can't risk everything for him. I wish we could, but,-"

"Stop it," George growled, throwing her hand off of him. "Just stop. You don't know- This isn't about just Fred. It's about everyone. Everyone who has experienced loss or pain in the war. We can stop all of that before it ever has to happen Hermione. Just think about it."

"I can't think about it, George," Hermione said looking utterly heart broken. "I can't get my hopes up like that when not a single part of me thinks it could possibly work out." Hermione and George traded sad glances and jumped about a foot in the air when Dumbledore spoke, both having forgotten he was there.

"I have heard both of your cases. I think we all have a great deal to think about, but in the mean time we need rest, food, and a cover story."

"Cover story?" Hermione asked a perplexed look on her face.

"Yes, if you wish to be students here while we work out what is best for us to do and how to go about doing it you will need a cover story," Dumbledore told her matter of factly. Hermione's spirits started to rise. Be a student?

"Well, I never did get to take my 7th year. I would love the chance to," She said a smile gracing her lips. George groaned playfully.

"Of course _you'd_ want to be a student. I thought I got out of having to finish my 7th year," George whined to Hermione who frowned at him.

"You should be happy to have a chance to take your N.E.W.T.s and complete your education," she sniffed. George rolled his eyes.

"I think you and the teachers are the only ones who think that way," He replied teasingly. Hermione stuck her tongue out at him. Dumbledore beamed at the two playfully bantering.

"So then, do you have any ideas for a cover story?" He asked the pair. Hermione put on her thinking face, but was soon interrupted by George.

"Actually, yes. I thought it up as soon as I figured out where we were. Or rather when we were," George said chuckling at his own pun. Hermione rolled her eyes, but Dumbledore chuckled as well.

"Nicely put Mr. Weasley. Now, this story of yours?" He prompted George to explain his idea.

"Thank you sir. It is quite simply really. Hermione and I are clearly English, except maybe I could pass for Irish, but then I don't have the accent for that do I?"

"You are correct in that, Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore agreed looking amused at the rambling path George seemed to have taken in explaining his cover story. Hermione merely rolled her eyes again and Dumbledore nodded for him to continue.

"So those facts ruled out us being exchange students and also saved us from having to learn all about some foreign school we were supposedly from. Correct?" Again, Dumbledore nodded and Hermione rolled her eyes.

"So then I thought some more. What if Hermione and I were home schooled? It would have to be that we were home schooled together otherwise it would be suspicious how we seem to know each other and why we arrived at the same time, yes?" Again, there was more nodding and eye rolling.

"So then I had the thought that our mothers could have been friends and decided to home school us together. Next, I had to decide on why we came here then after six and a half years of being home schooled. That answer came to me almost immediately. We are in the middle of a war are we not? And the only person the monster behind this war is afraid of is here at Hogwarts. So the logical reasoning for a scared parent would be to send their child to this person for protection. I also had a thought that a nearby death eater attack could have been the cause for our mothers to worry about our safety," George concluded. Dumbledore smiled.

"That seems like a very well thought out and logical story, Mr. Weasley. Bravo. I'm sure that creative mind of yours has helped you get out of a scrap of trouble or two in the past, hmm?" Professor Dumbledore asked with a slight smile and his eyes twinkling like mad. George gasped in shock and his hand flew to his chest in mock pain.

"You wound me professor! I would never! I am a good boy who always eats all of his vegetables and is always in bed on time!" George exclaimed indignantly. Dumbledore chuckled and his eyes seemed to twinkle even more.

"Good to know, Mr. Weasley. If there is ever a vegetable left behind on a student's plate I will know not to waste time questioning you." George nodded.

"Good sir. I'd hate to inadvertently be the cause of some scoundrel getting away with that!" Dumbledore chuckled.

"Now then, if everyone is agreed to our cover," here he stopped and turned to Hermione who nodded mutely, "we shall make some sleeping arrangements and I will have to scrounge up some school supplies and clothing for the two of you while you're staying with us. Now what houses are the two of you in?" He asked politely.

"Gryffindor," They replied in unison. Dumbledore smiled.

"I could have guessed as much. I assume you know the way to the tower then? Good. If any of your new house mates are curious, you flooed here to my office and your trunks will be along shortly. It is just about the end of dinner now so if you hurry you can catch some food before heading for a rest," Dumbledore finished with a smile as the two exhausted travelers stumbled to their feet, gave him their thank yous, and bid their goodbyes to the kind headmaster.

"I don't fancy getting gawked at quite yet do you?" Professor Dumbledore heard George say as they descended the stairs. "Let's kip into the kitchens shall we?"

"Oh I suppose…" Hermione responded reluctantly. Dumbledore smiled to himself. It would certainly be an interesting end to the school year with those two around. With that thought he began writing letters to every expert in Egyptian Gods and Goddesses he could think of. Someone would have some information and it could possibly mean the difference between the dark, empty future the time travelers described or a much brighter one that they could create with the knowledge of what could happen.

**AN: Sorry about the slight wait there my wonderful and patient audience. I hope you enjoyed this and I hope my Dumbledore lived up to J.K.'s high standards she set in the creation of Dumbledore. Nothing irks me more than an awful Dumbledore. I'm sure that particular peeve of mine was born from watching the Goblet of Fire. *shudders* **

**As always I live for feedback! **


	4. Ch 4: A Walk with a Weasley

_**AN: Thanks so much for all the wonderful reviews! They give me warm fuzzies.**_

**Disclaimer: The wonderfulness that is Harry Potter alas does not belong to me, but to J.K. Rowling. This means that I am not rich, nor famous, nor as generally awesome as Mrs. Rowling has become.**

**Previously…**

Dumbledore smiled to himself. It would certainly be an interesting end to the school year with those two around. With that thought he began writing letters to every expert in Egyptian Gods and Goddesses he could think of. Someone would have some information and it could possibly mean the difference between the dark, empty future the time travelers described or a much brighter one that they could create with the knowledge of what could happen.

**Chapter 4: A Walk with a Weasley**

Hermione woke up early the next morning. Yawning, she checked her watch and groaned when she saw how early it was. Silently she debated whether or not to get up. She had gone to bed rather early the previous night and had managed to avoid everyone. Of course she knew she could not be so lucky today, and yet the temptation to sneak out of the dorm before its other occupants awoke was very high. So as silently as possible she went about getting ready for the day.

A trunk had arrived at the foot of her bed that housed clothes, school books, numerous other school supplies, and some toiletries. Hermione quickly grabbed what she needed, along with her beaded bag, and set off to the bathroom to get ready for the day. When she finished she snuck through the sleepy dorm room and down the stairs to the common room. When she made it to the bottom of the stairs she breathed a sigh of relief for having made it without confrontation.

"It's about time you got down here." Hermione jumped and spun to face the couch that George had just stood up from. George stretched and yawned, cracking his jaw in the process. "I was about to leave you and go get some breakfast on my own." Hermione rolled her eyes and started walking off to the portrait hole.

"Well I certainly didn't ask you to wait up for me. You could have gone down for breakfast whenever you liked. Unless of course you thought you couldn't handle it on your own and thought you needed me to escort you," Hermione teased him. George grinned before replying,

"Never! I am George Westley and I can handle anything! I could have gone down whenever I wanted, but I thought it would be nice to hang out with you today seeing as I'm the only one here that you know."

"Westley is it? As you wish," Hermione couldn't help but say, and then giggled at her own joke. George gave her a questioning look, but she just shook her head and continued onto a staircase before it could move away. "Muggle thing. So Westley, what shall we do today my gallant companion?" George opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by a female voice coming from the bottom of the staircase they were descending.

"Well you could start off your day by introducing yourself to the Head Girl," a pretty girl suggested. The girl had bright red hair that waved and curled from her pony tail she wore it up in. She had a slender, average height body and the brightest green eyes you'd ever seen. Unless of course you'd already met Harry Potter. Hermione stumbled slightly on the stairs, but caught herself on the rail before anything disastrous could happen.

"Hello," Hermione greeted as they stepped off the last stair, "I'm Hermione Granger and this is my friend George Westley." They paused the introductions as the Head Girl shook their hands.

"My name is Lily Evans. It's a pleasure to meet you. Dumbledore told me we'd be having some new students join Gryffindor house, but not the circumstances that led to someone transferring here in the middle of their final year," Lily gently inquired, giving them the option to tell their story or keep it private. Hermione smiled at the kindness of Harry's mother.

"Well you see it's quite a story actually," George said enthusiastically. "It all started on a stormy Thursday night- OW!" He exclaimed having been interrupted by a sharp elbow to the ribs.

"Don't ham it up," Hermione told him. George pouted back at her.

"You're no fun." Hermione shrugged and said "Deal with it." Lily smiled at their antics.

"So as I was saying," George continued, shooting a glare at Hermione, "before being so _rudely_ interrupted," Hermione rolled her eyes. "We were home schooled by our mums until there was a death eater attack too close for comfort. They agreed that it would be safer for us to finish our education here at Hogwarts with Dumbledore." Lily nodded knowingly.

"Yes nothing is quite as safe as Hogwarts right now is it?" She said sadly. There was brief silence as the entered the Great Hall. George, naturally, was the one to break it.

"Awfully quite in here, isn't it," He said glancing around the nearly deserted Great Hall where there were only 5 or 6 students.

"Oh don't worry it'll liven up soon enough. The castle is always a bit slow to get moving on Saturdays, with no classes you know. Only I expect them to be a bit worse than normal seeing as today is also the first day of break." Lily explained as they sat down and began grabbing food for their empty bellies.

"Of course, that makes sense," Hermione replied, nodding as she buttered her toast.

"Brilliant!" George exclaimed. "So we don't have to go to classes for what? Another few weeks?" Lily smiled at his enthusiasm.

"Right," she said. George grinned.

"Well that takes off a load of stress," he said. Hermione nodded happily.

"That should give me plenty of time to make sure we're at the same level in the curriculum and plenty of time to brush up on a few things before we start!" George groaned and gave her a disgusted look.

"You can study during the holidays if you want Hermione, but leave me out of it. I'll accept whatever lot I get when we start classes. No way am I doing extra work!" George told her passionately.

"But what if-," Hermione was cut off by George's loud voice and him holding his hands in the air in defense from Hermione's words.

"Not another word about studying! My mind is thoroughly in the holiday spirit and anymore talk about books or classes and I might have to go jump in the lake!" George proclaimed dramatically. Hermione rolled her eyes and huffed.

"Fine. But when you're getting P's and D's on all of your work, don't come to me for help," She told him huffily. Lily released the giggle she had been holding in as she watched the antics of the two.

"So how long have you two been dating?" She asked innocently. Hermione began choking on her toast at the same moment George inhaled his pumpkin juice. Lily's grin widened as the pair coughed and sputtered on their breakfast.

"Wh-whatever gave you that idea?" Hermione asked weakly, eyes watering and rubbing her throat. George still mute to keep his racking cough under control merely nodded his agreement to Hermione's question.

"Well you two banter and bicker just like my boyfriend and I do. It's rather cute to watch actually. I don't know why my friends always complain about it," She answered grinning.

"Well we're not… We don't… That's just not how it is," George tried to explain.

"Not yet anyway," Lily told them seriously. "Trust me, I was in denial for the longest time too, but it's just one of those inevitable things."

"Mmmm," Hermione said for lack of anything better to say. There were a few minutes of awkward silence as they finished their morning meal.

"You know, I think I fancy a walk this morning," Hermione said, rising from her seat.

"Ooo! I'll go with you," George immediately volunteered. Lily gave them both a knowing look.

"I'm going to stay here and wait for my friends. They should be down soon. It's been bitterly cold out recently. I'd make sure to grab your cloaks and mittens before going out there if I were you."

"Thanks Lily," Hermione relied. "It was nice to meet you." George nodded his agreement and Lily smiled.

"Same."

Then without further ado Hermione and George sped from the Great Hall to put as much distance between themselves and Lily Evans' knowing smile.

"Well that was awkward," George stated the obvious as he summoned their new cloaks from their dorms. Hermione grinned nervously.

"Yeah she really seemed to have convinced herself," Hermione replied, not knowing what else to say. Their cloaks arrived. They quickly put them on and exited the castle.

Hermione sucked in a breath at the bitter cold Lily had warned them about. They walked around the lake mostly in silence. The occasionally observation about the differences in the castle and landscape were the only things to break the silence. There was a very light layer of snow on the ground and the dark clouds overhead made it appear that more snow was possible at any minute. Hermione sighed and stared across the lake at the forbidden forest. It looked so pretty in the snow, but Hermione knew first hand of the dangers within.

Snowflakes began falling from the sky when they were about midway around the lake. Light at first, they steadily grew heavier and heavier. Hermione smiled to herself and looked straight up into the sky. Having a thought she stopped and stuck out her tongue trying to catch a snowflake. George, finally realizing his companion was no longer walking beside him turned around.

"Err, Hermione. What are you doing?" The wizard asked.

"I am trying to catch a snowflake," Hermione answered matter of factly without so much as looking at him. George gave her a curious look.

"Why?" He asked.

"Because it's fun," Hermione answered finally looking at him. "It's something I used to do with my parents when I was little."

"Oh ok." George said, kind of understanding, but not really.

"Wizard families don't do this then I take it?" Hermione asked curious.

"Well ours didn't anyway. But that might have been because we were all a bunch of boys, besides Ginny, and when there was snow, there were snowball fights and snow castles," George told her.

"Well that makes sense," Hermione responded before going back to her game.

"I got one!" She exclaimed excitedly.

"Just one? After all this time?" George asked incredulous.

"I bet I could catch more snowflakes than you could," Hermione glared playfully at him.

"Is that a challenge Miss Granger?" George asked with narrowed eyes.

"Why yes, Mr. Westley I believe it was. Why? You think you're going to lose?" Hermione asked grinning mischievously. George puffed out his chest.

"George Westley never backs away from a challenge and rarely loses! I accept Miss Granger," He stated dramatically. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Lets get on with it then," she said before throwing her head back and poking her tongue out. George mimicked her technique and they stood there in the most intense yet boring match ever seen.

"Two!" Hermione suddenly yelled.

"What! You have to start over at one!" George complained.

"Well you should have stated that in the rules before we started then," Hermione replied still trying to catch flakes on her tongue. "Three!" She shouted. George grumbled to himself, but being determined to catch up refrained from saying anything.

"Four!"

"Five!"

"Six!"

"HOW ARE YOU GETTING SO MANY?! I HAVEN'T EVEN CAUGHT ONE!" George finally exploded at her.

Hermione burst into a fit of giggles that took her to her knees and brought her gasping for air.

"Only… caught…the one!" She managed to gasp out, trying to regain control, but the look on George's face made that utterly impossible.

"You were lying?" George asked her, stunned. Hermione only managed to nod her head through her laughter. "That is an evil thing to do! So… So Slitherin of you! Well I do have my honor to up hold so you really give me no choice," George said sadly as he started toward her. The look on George's face had the exact opposite effect on Hermione than the previous look had. The mischievous smile and glinting eyes immediately shut her up and she did the only sensible thing there was to do. She ran.

"Get back here Granger!" George shouted as he gave chase.

"You'll never take me alive!" Hermione shouted back. She had never exactly been the fastest runner, but being on the run with Harry and Ron had certainly entailed a lot of running, so now she was fairly fast. Hermione chanced a glance back and ducked just in time to avoid the bright purple jinx that flew over her head.

"Resorting to spell work Westley?" She shouted over her shoulder. "You know you can never best me!" She pulled her wand out of her robes and began sending a multitude of spells and jinxes over her shoulder. She glanced back and saw that at least one had hit its mark when her eyes lit upon George's head of neon green hair. Letting out a gleeful laugh Hermione increased her pace, now running flat out.

She could now see the entrance to the castle. She was in the home stretch. Suddenly she felt a spell hit her between the shoulder blades that pitched her forward and into the fresh layer of snow. Hermione rolled onto her back, clutching her sides and laughing hysterically. Through her watery eyes she saw George gaining on her.

"F-f-finite!" She managed to get out through the laughter. Instantly she jumped to her feet and held her wand at the ready, just in time for George to skid to a stop 10 feet away from her.

"Are we really going to do this Westley? You think you stand a chance?" Hermione taunted him with a smile on her face.

"I have my honor to up hold. I can not back down," George replied, also grinning.

"As you wish," Hermione replied, eyes sparkling.

And with that they began throwing an unrelenting amount of jinxes and charms at one another. They ducked, rolled, and dodged. Hermione's bushy hair blew about her face as she laughed gleefully. George couldn't help but to laugh back. Finally, Hermione managed to him with the jelly legs jinx. He fell to the ground and hit her back with a leg locker which caused her to also fall to the ground and drop her wand.

George laughed, thinking he had finally beaten the witch and removed the jinx from his legs.

"Well, well well. Look how the mighty have-," George was unable to finish his sentence due to the face full of snow he had just received. Hermione used his distraction to dive for her wand, perform the counter jinx to free her legs, and jump to her feet.

"You challenge me to a snowball fight, Granger? That fall must have addled your brains. Very well. Shall we do this the muggle way or with magic? I will let you choose seeing as how either way you shall not win," George said pretending to leer at her.

Hermione laughed. "A bit confident are we? Then I chose muggle style. May the best witch win," she said before stooping to grab a pile of snow. George did the same and soon they were in the middle of a ferocious snow ball fight that Hermione was losing horribly. Her cheeks were pink from the exertion, her hair was damp and limp from all the snow she had been pelted with, and her robes and cloak were positively soaked. But her smile couldn't be bigger, her eyes sparkled with happiness, and her laughter filled the air.

Soon the sound of their war brought curious students out of the castle and into the still falling snow to watch. Some were even holding slices of toast in their hands as they watched Hermione get clobbered by George's devastatingly accurate snowballs. Hermione and George took no notice of these people, still being a rather long distance from the castle itself.

Hermione ducked behind a tree to catch her breath. She knew she was losing and couldn't let George have that satisfaction. So making up her mind she drew her wand from her pocket and began transfiguring the snow in front of her.

"Come out come out where ever you are!" George taunted, even though he knew exactly which tree Hermione hid behind and had a snowball cocked back and ready to fly as soon as she emerged. He waited and held his ground knowing he was in the best location to attack no matter which way she decided to run when she came out of hiding.

The next thing he knew a figure with bushy brown hair came running out from behind the tree. He threw his snowball and it hit right on target taking his victim down to the ground. With a victorious laugh George scooped up another snowball and raced over to the unmoving lump on the ground. As he approached it became painfully obvious that the person he just struck down was not Hermione at all. In fact it wasn't even a person.

What had formerly been a pile of snow transfigured into a person with brown hair was now… a pile of snow with brown hair. Just as he realized this, George heard the maniacal laughter of Hermione Granger. He turned fearfully to the sound and his heart stopped in his chest. Then he did the only sensible thing left to do. He turned tail and ran.

Unfortunately for him, he didn't make it very far. The first snowball hit the back of his head, the second his left leg. He tried to zigzag to dodge most of them, but somehow they all seemed to find their target.

"You'll never out maneuver those, Westley! They've been bewitched!" Hermione laughed from beside the mountain of snowballs she had created which flew in hordes after George.

"You're an evil witch Hermione Granger!" George shrieked as he covered his head from the unrelenting attack. Hermione just laughed.

"Say you surrender and it'll all stop!" Hermione shouted over to him. "Otherwise you will get pelted until I run out of snow!"

"NEVER!" George shouted in return.

"On your head, so be it! Literally," Hermione yelled back menacingly. With a wave over her wand the snow surrounding George in a ten foot radius rose into the air and formed a ball around George.

"Surrender now or I collapse the ball!" Hermione demanded.

"Alright, alright! I give up! Spare me oh wickedest of witches!" George's voice came from inside the ball. Hermione grinned.

"Very well then." With that she dispersed the snow back to the ground to reveal George cowering with his hands still protecting his head. Grinning, Hermione walked with her head held high over her soggy robes to where George stood glaring at her.

"That was cheating! We agreed on a muggle battle!" George said crossing his arms, but unable to keep a slight smile from his lips.

"Yes well I did it for you. You should be grateful," Hermione informed him. George shot her an incredulous, but also amused look.

"Oh really? How so?" He asked.

"Well it's simple really. I said 'may the best witch win'. So naturally I couldn't let you win and be called a witch! So see, it was for you," Hermione calmly explained with a huge smile on her face.

"Oh I see. Well then I suppose a thank you is in order then?" George asked. Hermione nodded frantically.

"Oh yes. Definitely," She said.

"Well then thank you Hermione Granger for drenching me in snow and humiliating me all for the sake of not being called a girl," George told her humbly with a slight bow.

"You're quite welcome good sir," She replied with a curtsey, lifting her drenched cloak as though it were a ball gown. "Now let's get inside before my clothing refreezes."

"Right you are Miss!" George agreed glancing down at his own soaked clothing. Hermione stifled a giggle and turned to go back to the castle. She gasped in surprise when she saw a number of students sitting and chatting with one another, discussing the finer points of the battle they had just witnessed. George and Hermione exchanged glances with raised eyebrows.

"Well it's a good thing we weren't planning on keeping a low profile," George joked. Hermione rolled her eyes but laughed at the same time. The two strolled together towards the entrance hall. As soon as they were near enough to hear, people starting voicing congratulations and praise. Hermione blushed whereas George simply bowed and accepted their compliments.

"Thank you, thank you may dear public!" George exclaimed from the midst of their peers. "That was round one where the good lady cheated to ensure her victory. In round two the handsome gentleman shall not be so blinded by her beauty to not see the evil lurking within!" He announced with his usual dramatics.

Hermione flushed even more and said in a seemingly irritated voice, "There will be no round two! Stop showing off and let's go change already." With that being said she waded her way through the rest of the crowd and into the entrance hall.

"You all heard the lady. I must bid thou, adieu." George bowed again and jogged after Hermione. "Well that was a good start to a morning."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I should have known going for a simple walk with you around would not be possible."

"Thank you. I like to be thought of as exciting," George told her as they made their way up the stairs, shoes squelching on every step. "Starlight," George said causing the fat lady to swing forward and reveal the common room. Hermione made a beeline for a couch and flopped her tired, aching body onto it.

"I'm exhausted," she moaned, closing her eyes.

"Hello exhausted. Nice to meet you. I'm Serious. Sirius Black." Hermione's eyes immediately flew back open. A boy with straight and shiny black hair that just reached his shoulders was smiling down on her from behind the couch. His grey eyes were twinkling and he was grinning from ear to ear. Hermione glanced at George to see him sitting in an arm chair watching her looking amused. Hermione's gaze darted back to the young, vibrant Sirius as he continued talking.

"That was quite a show you two put on down there. Impressive magic too. How come I've never seen you before? I can't imagine I'd forget a pretty, feisty thing like you," he finished with a wink. Hermione felt slightly nauseous. Why hadn't anyone ever told her what she should do if her best friend's godfather's younger self started hitting on her?

"Umm. We're new… Home schooled… Transferred," Hermione squeaked out wishing she could just sink down into the couch and disappear forever. George snickered and Hermione shot him a fierce glare which quickly shut him up. Sirius's grin widened.

"Ah so you're finishing the school year here then? How about you let me show you around then hmm? There's a Hogsmead trip today that I would be honored to take you on. I can show you around the village, even take you to see the most haunted building in England, the Shrieking Shack," He raised his eyebrows suggestively and Hermione finally got her surprise under control.

"Umm no thanks. Actually George and I had already made plans to go explore the village together…" Hermione lied on the spot. Truthfully, she had no clue today was a Hogsmead weekend before Sirius informed her and was just really uncomfortable with Sirius and his eyebrows.

Sirius looked put out for a moment, but quickly rebounded with his hopeful smile. "Then perhaps you and your friend would like to accompany me and my friends to Hogsmead and we can all just hang out?" He asked and immediately went into his signature puppy dog pout. Hermione glanced away from Sirius to see George with an odd expression on his face as he stared at Sirius.

Turning back to Sirius Hermione replied, "Umm, alright. I guess I don't really see any harm in-,"

"Excellent!" Sirius interrupted her. "Just let me go annoy my friends into getting ready and you two can change into something dry," he said before bounding up the stairs to the boys dormitory. Hermione looked at George and the words she had planned to say to him slipped away.

"George? What's wrong?" Hermione asked. George ripped his eyes away from where they had been trying to set the boy's staircase on fire.

"Hmmm nothing," he answered focusing on Hermione's face, appearing to take in every inch. "He's just a lot different than I'd thought he'd be." Hermione nodded.

"Needless to say that was incredibly awkward and I can't believe I just committed myself to an afternoon with the marauders," Hermione groaned. George shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

"Yeah, about that. If you want I can do something else…" George suggested halfheartedly. Hermione looked at him like he was crazy.

"And leave me alone with those four while Sirius hits on me every other second? I don't think so! And trust me when I say if you even think about sneaking off without me there will be hell to pay!" Hermione warned before hurrying up the stairs to her dormitory to change. Unfortunately, she turned and left so quickly she missed the look of relief on George's face and the large smile that quickly followed.

He stood from his chair and started to head to his dormitory to mimic Hermione when a flash of bright red hair caught his eye. He turned his head to see Lily Evans wearing her knowing smile. He stuck his tongue out at her in a mature fashion, but couldn't help but smile back.

"Nice hair by the way," she said as she strode past him to a chair by the fire with a book. Confused, George grabbed a lock of his damp hair and pulled it in front of his face and gasped at the blinding shade of green. A smile tugged his lips as he began plotting ways to get Hermione back. There was no way a Weasley could be bested by a bookish know-it-all, no matter how talented, beautiful, and mischievous she pretended not to be.

**AN: A bit of fluff for the fluff lovers. ;) For those of you who didn't catch on, the "muggle thing" as Hermione calls it is from the movie The Princess Bride. If you have not seen the movie you should watch it. It's not a chick flick like it sounds, although there is kissing (Lol). Or I supposed if you are too lazy to watch it you could Google "the princess bride, as you wish" and that should clear it up for you. **

**As always feedback is a beautiful thing.**


	5. Ch 5: Revelations

**Reviews from the last chapter were awesome. Thanks guys! :)**

**Disclaimer: As you all should have noticed by now I am not J.K. Rowling, so nothing here is really mine. :( **

**Previously…**

"Nice hair by the way," she said as she strode past him to a chair by the fire with a book. Confused, George grabbed a lock of his damp hair and pulled it in front of his face and gasped at the blinding shade of green. A smile tugged his lips as he began plotting ways to get Hermione back. There was no way a Weasley could be bested by a bookish know-it-all, no matter how talented, beautiful, and mischievous she pretended not to be.

**Chapter 5: Revelations**

Lily and Hermione were sitting by the fire chatting. They talked about books, the subjects they liked, those they didn't, and the same about the teachers. All in all they were becoming fast friends. Just as Lily was complaining about what a bore of a teacher Professor Binns was there was a loud crash and a yell from the boys' dormitories. The two shared a quick look before racing for the stairs. Heads were poking out of dorms through out the staircase, making it rather obvious which dorm the noises were coming from.

"Of course," Lily groaned under her breath. Hermione glanced at her as they reached the door. "Let's get this over with," Lily grumbled looking fierce. She threw the door open so that it slammed into the wall and left behind a large dent.

"James Potter!" She shrieked. As soon as the boys in the room heard Lily's voice they froze whatever they were doing. This created quite an amusing scene. George was on the floor with a slightly short and pudgy boy that had brown hair and watery blue eyes. Or maybe they just looked watery because he was being held in a headlock by George. A tall sandy haired boy was standing next to the boys on the floor with his arms above his head and mouth hanging open as though he had been yelling. A boy with messy black hair, round glasses, and bright hazel eyes had his wand out point at the pair on the floor. Sirius had his arms around George's as though a moment ago he'd been trying to pry him off.

"_What is going on here?"_ Lily hissed, her eyes flashing.

"George! Get off of him now!" Hermione ordered, Lily's words having snapped her back to reality.

"But Hermione-," George began to plead. Hermione's eyes flashed and she pointed her wand straight at George.

"Get off him now or I _will_ hex you into next week. _Don't_ think that I won't," Hermione growled menacingly. George immediately let go of the boy Hermione could only assume was Peter Pettigrew. _"What is wrong with you?"_ Hermione demanded, not putting away her wand. George stepped back.

"I-I- He said that anyone who tries to fight against Voldemort is a dead fool," George told her. Everyone in the room flinched at the sound of Voldemort's name except Hermione. Her shoulders drooped and the fire died from her eyes.

"Oh George," she said lowering her wand at last and stowing it away in her pocket. "You realize we have to explain to them now right?" George looked confused.

"Explain what?" He asked.

"About Fred," Hermione said gently. At first George's eyes merely flickered in surprise. Then they hardened and he said furiously, "We don't have to explain anything!"

"But we do George. Otherwise they will never forgive you for attacking their friend," Hermione calmly explained. George looked like he was having a bit of a war with himself.

"Fine! Tell them the whole bloody story then for all I care just don't expect me to have sit here and listen to it," George exclaimed before rushing out of the room and slamming the door behind him. Hermione sighed sadly and sank down onto the nearest bed and put her face in her hands, trying to regain her composure. It was always hard on her when her friends got mad at her, even when she knew that what she was doing was for the best.

With one last self pitying sigh she raised her head. Everyone in the room was either staring at her or sending each other confused glances. Remus, the sandy haired boy had finally put his arms down, James at some point had put his wand away, and both Peter and Sirius had gotten off the floor and to their feet to stand beside their friends. Hermione let out a small smile at the united front the four friends presented. Too bad it would never last.

"So I suppose you're all wondering who Fred is, and why George attacked your friend, umm…" Hermione paused and looked at Peter.

"Oh! Peter Pettigrew. Pleased to be rescued by you," Peter nodded his head to her. Hermione gave a small laugh in response, _what happened to this kind boy? __**War.**_ She answered herself. She sat up straighter.

"Nice to meet you too Peter." Hermione turned to the other two boys who had yet to introduce themselves. Of course she already knew who they were, but it would be so much easier when she could stop reminding herself that she shouldn't know their names.

"James Potter at your service," James said bowing slightly with Harry's crooked smile on his face. Hermione smiled back and turned to the final marauder.

"Remus Lupin, delighted to make your acquaintance," he said with a small smile and a nod in her direction.

"And my name is Hermione Granger," Hermione finished off the introductions.

"She's already met me!" Sirius exclaimed enthusiastically. Everyone in the room rolled their eyes.

"So we've heard Padfoot," James complained. Hermione sent a confused look at James, trying desperately to keep up her act. "Special marauder nicknames," Sirius told her with a wink.

"Right," Hermione answered. There was a moment of silence as they all waited to hear Fred's story. Lily left her post by the door and sat on James' bed watching Hermione curiously.

"Fred is- was George's twin," she said hesitantly. There were gasps and shocked expressions throughout the group.

"Was?" Remus was the one brave enough to ask. Hermione sighed and fought down the tears that threatened to pool in her eyes.

"Yes," she whispered. "He was murdered by Voldemort's followers. The death eaters, a few months ago." She had to stop for a moment to gather herself. "Fred and George were hardly ever seen apart from each other. The We- Westley twins is what everyone called them. They finished each others' sentences, knew what the other was thinking or planning without even having to look at the other, and they were brilliant. Mind you, George still is. But now he's broken. I used to never see him without a smile on his face, but it happens too much now. He used to joke about everything. He-," Hermione laughed sadly, startling the others listening.

"We were attacked shortly before Fred was killed and George lost his ear," Hermione continued. Everyone nodded, having wondered what happened but not wanting to ask. "As soon as George regained consciousness he made a joke to Fred about being holey. Fred immediately joked back about having the whole wide world of ear jokes and George went with holey. That's just how they were. George doesn't have that anymore. He's missing his other half. His brother," here Hermione finally lost her composure and the tears slipped freely down her cheeks.

"The death eaters took that from George. Voldemort took that from him,' ignoring the flinches she continued on, "So you have to understand, for George to hear someone scoffing at those who give their lives for good side of this war it was like a fresh knife in a barely scabbed wound. I understand his reaction completely. I just wish he wasn't so rash," Hermione finished with a small apologetic smile at Peter. Everyone looked pretty down after that heart breaking story and no one could hold George's actions against him.

"Well," Peter started, "You can tell him from me that there are no hard feelings and I should have kept my mouth shut." Hermione gave another small smile to Peter.

"Thanks Peter. And just for the record, so you all know. George and I are completely against Voldemort. When we finish school we will not hesitate to begin fighting against him," Hermione finished passionately, making eye contact with each person in the room. Everyone looked a little surprised at this declaration, but none as surprised as Peter.

"But what if you die?" Peter asked eyes wide with wonder. Hermione shrugged.

"Then I died doing what is right. I died fighting for something I believe in, not cowering in my living room too afraid to walk outside, or behind some mask ruining the lives all around me," Hermione said fiercely.

"Is that why you say his name?" Remus asked, ever the observant one, "It's an effort to fight against him?" Hermione turned to him in surprise.

"Yes. If I'm afraid to even speak his name how do I ever stand up to the real thing?" Hermione answered as if it was obvious. The others in the room sat and pondered the things Hermione said. After a moment or two of silence, Hermione stood.

"I need to go find George," she said. The others nodded in understanding.

"Are you still coming with us to Hogsmead?" Sirius, of course, couldn't help but ask. Hermione paused at the door.

"I don't know," she said without turning to look at him. With that she opened the door and left the dormitory. There was silence in the 7th year boys' dorm for several minutes, as Hermione had left them all with a lot to think about.

"I'm going to join the war, too," James suddenly announced. "Like Hermione said, I'd rather die fighting for what's right than die hiding. If V-Voldemort has his way he's going to kill me anyway, because I'll never join him. So at least this way I go out on my own terms," James finished. There was a shocked silence and then Sirius and Lily started nodding.

"I agree Prongs," Sirius said, "If I'm going out, I'm going out a hero. Besides, my parents will hate it," he added with a grin.

"I'm fighting too," Lily insisted, "I'm a muggleborn. If it's either get killed for what my parents are or get killed fighting for my rights and the lives of others I'll choose the latter." James looked a little nervous at this, but accepted her reasoning as the truth and didn't try to change her mind.

"I am too," Remus chimed in. "I'm ostracized from the wizarding community enough. If I want things to change for me then I'll have to start with changing things for the muggles and muggleborns." Everyone nodded thoughtfully. There was silence for a few moments as each member of the room was lost in their own thoughts. No one seemed to notice Peter had never agreed with them to fight. Also, no one noticed the look of fear and sadness on his face as he looked around at all of his friends, thinking.

_They would all give their lives so willingly for people they don't even know. I don't deserve for them to include me. I'm nothing like them._

Hermione sighed. It was times like these that having the Marauders' Map would come in handy. She'd already searched most of the castle, including the room of requirement and the kitchens. She was running out of places to look. That was when the light bulb went off over her head. She could have smacked herself for being so dense. The Quidditch pitch of course!

She quickly set of for the pitch, almost running. Once she managed to get outside the castle she settled for a fast jog. She could see her breath fog the air in front of her as she neared the pitch. How anyone could stand to be on a broom in this weather she'd never understand. As it was, no matter the weather, she preferred for both of her feet to stay on the ground, and if she had no choice but to fly she would still choose thestrals or hippogriffs over a broomstick, without hesitation.

Finally, she reached the pitch and shaded her eyes to search the skies. There he was. An unmistakable black dot with neon green hair. Hermione thought about calling out to him so they could talk, but decided against it. Instead she opted for finding a seat in the stands and waiting. This way he could finish blowing off his steam and when they talked it would actually be productive.

Hermione climbed the many steps in the Gryffindor stands and was thankful when she reached the top. She picked a seat and settled in for a long wait. She placed a warming spell on her numb toes. Then she conjured a jar of blue flames to maybe keep the rest of her warm, wishing she had thought to grab her cloak, but then remembering it was soaking wet anyway.

Hermione watched her friend zoom around and around the Quidditch Pitch. He spiraled and dived, albeit not as fast as he would have on the more modern brooms he was used to. Hermione sat until the warming spell had worn off on her feet twice and had to be renewed. Her backside was numb from the cold and the unforgiving wooden bench. She had gotten up to stretch a few times, but it was much warmer to huddle next to her small fire.

Finally, after hours of waiting, George finally noticed Hermione and flew over to where she sat. He landed softly on the bench in front of her.

"Hey," George said quietly, not making eye contact.

"Hey," Hermione replied, just as quiet, staring into his face as his eyes avoided hers like the plague.

"Are you mad at me?" Hermione couldn't help but blurt out after an awkward silence. She immediately felt childish for asking, but didn't take back the question.

George's head snapped up from where he had been examining the floor boards. "No," he replied instantly. Hermione looked relieved. "Are you mad at me?" he asked.

"No," Hermione replied shaking her head with a small, hesitant smile. George let out a gust of air he had apparently been holding in and smiled at Hermione.

"Thank Merlin. I thought you were going to be furious with me," George told her honestly, with a smile on his face. Hermione smiled back.

"No I understand. I'd prefer it if next time, you didn't attack a student, but what's done is done and no one got hurt." George nodded in agreement.

"So umm, they all know then? About Fred?" George asked quietly, studying his hands.

"Yeah," Hermione replied looking at him sadly. "You know telling them was best right?" She asked after a moment of silence.

"Yeah," George agreed reluctantly. "I wish no one had to know though. It's so much easier when no one knows, you know? No looks of pity. No explaining away, 'Oh he did that because his brother's dead. Just let him get away with it'. It sucks. It all just sucks," George finished refusing to even turn in Hermione's direction. Hermione gently grabbed his chin and turned his face towards hers. His eyes were shiny with tears that he was too stubborn to let fall.

"Can I give you a hug?" Hermione asked him. A ghost of a smile flitted across George's face.

"Do you need to ask?" He questioned her and opened his arms. Hermione smiled back and shook her head before leaning into his chest and wrapping her arms around his middle.

"You're freezing," he commented, squeezing her tighter. Hermione grinned.

"Yeah some git soaked my cloak through and then made me sit out here in the freezing December air for hours on end waiting for him," Hermione replied, jokingly. George winced.

"Sorry…" he apologized.

"It's ok. I'd do it all again," Hermione told him nonchalantly. George smiled and rested his chin on her head. The pair sat that way for a long time before George leaned back and said, "Thanks Hermione. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Hermione smiled back and replied, "Probably live on your broomstick." George laughed for the first time since that morning. "Probably," he agreed. "Shall we go see if we still have time for Hogsmead? I could use some more Zonkos products to last me for the next week or so."

Hermione checked her watch. "We still have a couple of hours until dinner. I'm sure we'll make it." That being said she vanished her jar of flames, stood, and stretched her sore muscles.

"What about the others?" George asked, standing also. Hermione shrugged.

"They will survive without our company for a few hours I think," she told him with a smile, somehow understanding his need for some space at the moment. George smiled and looked at Hermione as though he was seeing her properly for the first time.

"What?" Hermione asked, noticing the look on his face. He smiled at her and said,

"I was just wondering when I stopped looking at you as Ron's friend, and started seeing you as Hermione Granger." Hermione smiled.

"I prefer spending time with George Weasley much more than one of Ron's immature older brothers also," She replied. George smiled at her, but on the inside he felt slightly disappointed, although he wasn't sure why. It was like he had wanted to hear something… different. Something more profound maybe? Mentally shaking the bizarre thoughts away, he draped his arm across Hermione's shoulders and guided her to the stairs.

"Let's do something fun," he told her. Hermione groaned.

"Your definition of fun and mine are vastly different," she moaned. George laughed.

"And that, my dear, makes it all the more fun for me," he told her smiling happily. Hermione couldn't help but smile along with him. It made her happy to see him happy, and something told her that she would do anything he asked if it would make him happy.

"So where to first?" she asked as they exited the stadium.

"Zonkos of course!" George exclaimed. "We need supplies." Hermione groaned.

"Why do I feel like I'm going to regret this?" she asked rhetorically. George grinned down at her where she was still snug under his arm; his blue eyes alight with restrained laughter.

"Probably because you will," he told her matter of factly. Hermione groaned again and George could no longer contain his happy laughter. Hermione smiled along with him. The happiness of the Weasley twins had always been contagious. It seemed that fact was still true with only one half of the duo.

"No! That is not going to happen! I refuse to be a part of this!"

"Oh c'mon Mione. It'll be fun! I promise!"

"No! I will not take part in anything that hurts an innocent person!"

"Then we'll do it to the Slitherins! Merlin knows none of them are anywhere near innocent."

"No."

"But Mi-,"

"No."

"Pleeaaassseee. For me? It'll make me so happy Mione."

Hermione growled in frustration. The combination of his irresistible puppy dog eyes and the new nickname for her that he thought up somewhere between leaving the Quidditch Pitch and arriving at Zonkos were slowly but surely wearing her down. Then he just had to go and mention his happiness. Hermione sighed. George fist pumped to his victory and gave Hermione a bear hug, knowing without her having to admit it that he had won the battle.

"Only on future death eaters, not on Snape, because he turns out to be a good guy, and do _not _get me caught!" Hermione laid out the rules. George pouted.

"But Snape is such a slimy git. Maybe just-,"

"NO." Hermione would not give in this time. George put his hands up in surrender.

"Okay, okay. No Snape. Message received your Highness," George conceded. "So when can we start planning? A good prank can't go unplanned," George added eagerly.

"Well… We can head to the Three Broomsticks and discuss it over some butterbeer. I'm freezing," Hermione suggested.

"What if someone overhears? I hate getting caught before I can even get started," George told her. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Fine. We don't have to plan, but I'm going to the Three Broomsticks regardless, otherwise I'll make it back to Hogwarts as an ice cube," Hermione said before setting off to the familiar, yet different, pub down the street.

"Honestly, Mione. You don't give yourself enough credit. You'd definitely be an ice sickle not a cube. You're in too good of shape to end up a cube," George declared. Hermione blushed, yet rolled her eyes all the same.

"Thanks George. You are such the gentleman," she commented dryly.

"Why thank you kind lady! I think you're pretty amazing yourself!" George told her in return, pretending to miss the sarcasm. Hermione ignored him and opened the door the pub. She held the door open long enough for him to get in range and then promptly let the heavy door shut on him.

"Ow!" he yelled. "That was uncalled for! That'll bruise!" Hermione just smirked at him. "Oh oops. I didn't see you there," she lied and then turned and flounced off to a table, calling over her shoulder, "I'll let you order the drinks."

George smiled after her. One of a kind that, Hermione Granger. With that thought he turned to the bar and ordered them some butterbeers. He leaned against the bar, waiting for the drinks and watching Hermione. She sat at a table near the back seemingly relaxed with her chin in her hand and her elbow on the table. But her eyes never stopped moving. She was constantly scanning the small pub as though waiting for a death eater to pop out from under a table. Her shoulders were tense and her feet were fidgeting beneath the table. George sighed. The war must have taken a bigger toll on Hermione than he'd realized.

"Here you are lad, two butterbeers." George started internally. He'd been so absorbed in his thoughts he hadn't noticed Rosemerta's approach until she was blocking his view, shoving drinks in his hands, and winking. "Just ask the girl out. She's already here with you and you're obviously smitten. And with a looker like you there's no way she'll say no," Rosemerta said with another wink and was gone as quickly as she'd come.

Smitten? He looked smitten with Hermione? It was a concept he had never even considered. Thinking back to some things he hadn't been able to understand before it made sense. And it had taken a virtual stranger to point it out to him. George frowned. He suddenly had a lot to think about. Looking back at Hermione he saw her feet fidgeting worse than ever and his frown deepened.

As he approached the table her head whipped around and her tense expression melted into a relieved smile. He forced a smile back and slid her her drink. She murmured her thanks and took a grateful sip. They sat in silence for awhile, both just drinking their hot drinks and warming up.

"Hermione," George finally broke the silence, "How have you been since the war? Honestly?" Hermione looked at George in surprise. She took a drink to give herself time to think.

"I-I don't- No one has actually asked me that before," she admitted to the floor. George's jaw dropped before he collected himself.

"No one? Oh Mione. Why didn't you ever say anything?" George asked her. Hermione looked him in the eye and gave him a smile so sad it made his chest hurt.

"Who would I have told, George?" she asked simply. George sat for a moment and racked his brains and the answer he came up with only furthered the ache in his chest. He sadly looked down into his mug. "That's the conclusion I came to also," Hermione said sadly. "Your whole family has been mourning Fred. Ginny is my best friend, but she took losing Fred pretty hard and to consol herself she wrapped herself around Harry. Harry was the same only he was mourning everyone who died. Remus, Tonks, even Lavender Brown. Ron distanced himself from the family almost as badly as you did. He took to drinking a bit and was too absorbed with his own pain to recognize someone else's; especially after I told him I wasn't ready for a relationship so soon after the war.

"Your parents were still grieving Fred and had their own family's grief and pain to try and fix without the added stress of my issues. Neville and Luna… I mean they were friends and great people, but just not friends that I felt I could share anything personal with, you know? And my parents… I don't even know where they are. I looked I really did. Two months in Australia. Nothing. Part of me thinks they must be dead, and the other part refuses to acknowledge what the first has to say. And that's it. That's all my friends, all my family," Hermione finished sadly. George couldn't believe how blind they all were. How could they miss this much pain right under their noses. This wonderful woman, helping them all through their pain, but never receiving anything in return.

George reached across the table and took Hermione's hand. She looked up in surprise. "I'm your friend now," George told her. "You can tell me anything, no matter what it is or what I'm going through at the time, okay?" Hermione nodded mutely holding back her tears. George gave her a half smile.

"Good. Now we'll start with what was wrong while I was off getting drinks." George told her. Hermione sighed and looked around self consciously.

"Can we go back to the school please? I don't feel comfortable talking about it here. The Room of Requirement maybe?" Hermione pleaded with her eyes for George to understand that she wasn't trying to get out of it. George's insides melted at the look on Hermione's face.

"Of course we can Mione," he said softly. "Are you ready to go now?" Hermione finished the last of her drink and nodded.

"Yeah let's get out of here," she said before turning to the door. Hermione led the way, weaving through the tables, but George passed her and grabbed the door first, holding it open for her to pass through. Hermione smiled.

"Thanks," was all she said before walking out of the warm, noisy pub and into the cold, dark twilight. Her breath hitched in her throat as George let the pub door shut behind him and they were encased in the dark silence of the deserted street. Apparently the rest of the Hogwarts students had returned for dinner long ago. Hermione tried to calm herself and turned toward George.

"Shall we?" She asked. George almost missed the fear in her eyes as they turned to walk back to the castle. It was the fear he saw there that made him reach over and grab her hand as they walked. Her hand was ice cold, yet clammy at the same time. He gave it a reassuring squeeze. The smile she sent back to him was extremely strained. George frowned. The sooner they got back to the castle the better.

Hermione was struggling to get her breathing under control. The last thing she needed was to start hyperventilating in front of George. At the moment all that was keeping her from going into a panic attack was her death grip on George's hand and the brisk pace to the castle she was setting.

"Mione, how can I help? What do you need me to do?" George asked. Apparently her mild panic attack had not gone unnoticed as she had hoped.

"Talk," Hermione whispered. "Talk to me. Distract me. Make me feel safe."

George nodded. "Okay, I can do that. Is this any better?" he asked as he draped his arm over her shoulders and pulled her close. Hermione buried her face in his sweater, screwed her eyes shut, and breathed deeply. George's smell permeated her senses. He smelled like fresh air with a hint of something woodsy that she couldn't identify. Hermione nodded in answer to his question. They couldn't walk as fast as she had been previously, but she felt calmer.

"Distract me," she told him.

"Okay, umm, I'll tell you a story. A funny one." He told her trying to pull one up in his memory. "Okay, I've got it. I'll tell you the story leading up to Fred and me blowing up a toilet seat. It was in my third year. Of course our dear old mum gave us the wonderful idea by warning us not to do it. So naturally, we had no choice! Anyway, the day we decided to do it was when were found out that Harry was in the hospital wing after the whole stone mishap. So we started planning right away, which just so happened to be in McGonagall's class. She tried to confiscate the parchment we had been making all of our notes on. Apparently back then we weren't quite the geniuses we were to become. I guess it was rather obvious we were planning something." Hermione smiled into George's chest.

"So anyway when she tried to take it, with some quick thinking on Fred's part, he charmed it into a list of Zonkos products we supposedly planned on buying next trip. Poor McGonagall looked so disappointed! She really thought she caught us in the act that time. So after that close call we had to pretend to pay attention during class-,"  
"Why not just pay attention? Why only pretend to?" Hermione asked his shirt. George smiled, glad she was feeling better.

"Because we were two 13 year old, conceited pranksters who thought we were too smart to listen. We thought we didn't need to. We would just ace everything with our natural brains," George explained. Hermione smiled and nodded.

"So anyway. After the longest Transfiguration lesson known to wizard kind, or that's how it seemed anyway, we headed straight for our dorms. We added the last few details to our plan, grabbed the Marauders' Map and headed to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom."

"Urg. You're going to antagonize Myrtle…" Hermione groaned. Hermione felt more than heard his laugh rumble from his chest.

"Yeah, she rather hated Fred and I. Called us soulless gingers or something odd and random like that." Hermione laughed outright at this new information. "What?" George asked.

"It's a muggle thing. Myrtle's a muggleborn," Hermione giggled. George rolled his eyes, but beamed none the less, happy that his story was working. They were nearly there too.

"Right." He said. "So we were heading to Myrtle's precious toilet," Hermione giggled again, "and we were checking the map along the way, because at this point in school Filch wouldn't hesitate to follow us around the castle if he thought we were up to something. We reached the bathroom without incident, but as we were slipping in, Percy of all people came around the corner. He immediately stopped us and demanded to know what we were up to going into a girls' toilet.

"We, of course, were incredibly smooth even at a young age. So we lied flawlessly about being shocked that it was the girls' loo and not the boys' like we'd meant to enter. It was fabulous acting if I do say so my self, but our dear brother didn't buy it for some reason. So he escorted us all the way back to the Gryffindor tower. His mistake was leaving us there, thinking we'd give up. Of course we immediately set back out, this time keeping an eye out for Filch and Percy, who was guarding a corridor near Myrtle, but he didn't know about the secret passage that we used to get there.

"So we finally made it to Myrtle's toilet, who, the moment she saw us started screeching up a racket. So instead of carefully removing the seat like we'd planned, we had no choice but to send a reducto curse at the thing and wrench the seat from the remains before Percy, or worse, came storming in. As it was we slipped out just in time and hid behind a tapestry. The next instant Percy came charging around the corner and flew into the bathroom. Fred and I knew we would be the first suspects, and if we made it back in time we had the perfect alibi.

"So we took off running as fast as we could back to the common room, me with a toilet seat under my arm. We climbed through the portrait hole and ran to the nearest sofa, shooing the first years on it away,"

"George!" Hermione berated him.

"What? It was life or death. We could sacrifice a few hurt feelings. Anyway," George continued, ignoring the glare Hermione lifted her head to give him. Smiling, George continued his tale. "We stowed the seat under the couch and then sat down and quickly tried to look like we'd been there the whole time and catch our breath. Percy came storming in, not two minutes later. He was throwing around all sorts of accusations while we just stared back innocently and reminded him that he personally had escorted us back and if he knew us at all he'd have guarded that bathroom to make sure we didn't come back.

"After that he kinda stalked off and we sat silently for about 5 min waiting for him to get out of ear shot. Then we retrieved our prize from under the couch and celebrated with the common room. It was a wonderful day, except when we tried to leave it with Harry's gifts in the hospital wing and Poppy blew a gasket and got Dumbledore involved. He knew who had blown up the toilet. We had the evidence in our hands, but being Dumbledore, he said that we could have gotten that seat from anywhere and we got off the hook. Good thing too. Mum would've had a cow." George finished his long winded story just as they started up the steps to Hogwarts.

"Good story choice," Hermione congratulated him.

"Thanks." George smiled. "Now, let's go sit down and you can tell me exactly what that little episode was all about."

**AN: A bit of a sad chapter, but I think you'll all pull through. Of course, everyone misses Fred. I really debated with myself on this one. This chapter was almost titled Fred, since he kept cropping up everywhere, but in the end I thought Revelations was more accurate.**

**Review please! I love hearing from you!**


	6. Ch 6: Truth or Dare?

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Harry Potter or his world. That's J.K. Rowling's happy honor.

**WARNING: This chapter contains kissing and mild cursing.**

**Previously…**

"Good story choice," Hermione congratulated him.

"Thanks." George smiled. "Now, let's go sit down and you can tell me exactly what that little episode was all about."

**Chapter 6: Truth or Dare?**

Hermione and George sat together on a loveseat in a small, but comfortable room. The theme of the room seemed to be Gryffindor, but it wasn't the common room. There was only the one loveseat, a fireplace, and a low, rectangular coffee table that sat in front of them. The loveseat was a pretty shade of gold with slightly darker swirling designs all over it, the coffee table was made of a pretty mahogany wood, and the fire in the fireplace was lit and making the room cozy and warm.

Hermione sighed and sipped at her hot chocolate that she had picked up from the kitchens before coming to the room of requirement to have their conversation. The conversation she really didn't want to have. Her problem already made her feel weak and pathetic without having to tell anyone about it. It was embarrassing enough just having one of her episodes in public, but now she was being forced to explain it as well. She took another sip of her hot chocolate.

She was stalling. George knew this. First, the trip to the kitchens and now dead silence as she drank her muggle drink. He really didn't want to push her into anything that she didn't want to do, but at the same time he wanted to help her. He couldn't help her if he had no clue what was going on with her. It seemed big too, like it was something that she shouldn't be dealing with alone. There was no way he was going to back down and let her get out of telling him. She could stall all she wanted, but he could be patient when he had to. Neither of them would be leaving this room until he was satisfied.

Hermione sighed again. George could be so stubborn. Just by the look on his face she could tell nothing she said would convince him to leave it alone, and seeing as he had been the one to create the room, she doubted she'd be able to leave until the whole truth escaped her lips. Hermione sneaked one last look at George through her eyelashes. He was staring off into the fireplace. Probably contemplating how to get a hold of some Veritaserum just in case. Hermione took a deep breathe and started talking.

"Ever since the end of the war I've had… issues," she began, directing her speech to the fireplace. "It's something muggles call PTSD, which stands for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Symptoms usually include flashbacks, hyper vigilance, nightmares, recurring memories, survivor's guilt, anger, insomnia, and a slew of other things. None of which are pleasant." Hermione paused here. It was easy enough to talk about when she was just talking about PTSD, and not about her own personal experiences with it.

"What is the difference between flash backs and recurring memories?" George asked, breaking the silence.

"Flashbacks are a recurrent and abnormally vivid recollection of a traumatic experience, whereas recurring memories you still have a hold on to where you are, what you're doing, and who you're with," Hermione explained, sounding as she usually did, like she's swallowed the textbook. George nodded thoughtfully.

"That makes sense. And hyper vigilance, what's that?" George asked, wanting to understand before they moved into the deeper waters that he sensed were ahead.

"An enhanced state of sensory sensitivity accompanied by an exaggerated intensity of behaviors whose purpose is to detect threats." George nodded again.

"So super paranoid?" he asked. Hermione refused to meet his eyes as she answered.

"Yes," she whispered. George grabbed her hand from where she had been clenching it in a fist in her lap.

"Do you have hyper vigilance?" He asked kindly. Hermione nodded, tears filling her eyes. She wished she had a handkerchief. Before she even finished the thought, a simple, but silky and white handkerchief appeared on the coffee table before her. She let out a dry chuckle as George leaned forward to grab it with his free hand.

"Bloody brilliant, this room, eh?" he said smiling sadly as he handed her the scrap of fabric to wipe her eyes. Hermione merely nodded as she dried her face.

"I'm ok when I'm inside buildings that I'm comfortable in, like Hogwarts. But when I go in public I feel like I'm being watched constantly. Or like someone is going to attack me any second. I get jumpy, my palms sweat, my heart races, and sometimes if it gets bad enough I'll go into a panic attack like earlier," Hermione finished looking at the floor ashamed of herself and her greatest weakness. George squeezed her hand consolingly.

"But earlier there wasn't anyone around when we were walking back. We weren't really in public," George reminded her. Hermione frowned.

"It doesn't just happen when I'm in public. It happens a lot at night and big, open spaces terrify me and set me off. Earlier I think it was the combination of being in a big open space, in the dark, virtually alone, and then the silence," Hermione shuddered. "I felt like a sitting duck. Like a spell could come shooting out of the darkness at any second and I wouldn't notice until too late."

George was silent for a moment as he digested everything she had told him. She had almost lost him with the (he assumed) muggle phrase, something about sitting on a duck, but he got the gist of it.

"So what else out of that list of symptoms happens to you?" He asked quietly after he was sure he didn't have any other questions. Hermione sighed.

"Nightmares, I had a flashback once, the memories, mild survivor's guilt, avoidance, insomnia,' Hermione stopped and let out a humorless laugh. "I'm _afraid_ of sleeping. I'm hardly even a Gryffindor anymore," she admitted to her knees, tears now falling freely down her pink, embarrasses cheeks and plopping silently on the old jeans she wore.

George gently pinched her chin between his fingers and dragged her gaze to meet his. What he saw took his breath away. Her rosy cheeks were damp from her tears and her eyelashes glistened. Her bushy brown hair had managed to loose itself from her ponytail that she had tried to tame it in. The effect was frizzy tendrils framing her face that he had to stop himself from lovingly brushing away. Her lips were a deeper pink than usual from her chewing them nervously, and they looked utterly kissable.

But her eyes stopped all of _those_ types of thoughts. They were their usual chocolate brown color, but the sparkle that he had grown accustomed to wasn't there. Instead they looked broken. The spirit had been lost. They were worn and tired and looked like they had seen much more than eyes on such a young face should have.

George took her hand that was not currently being held by his and removed the crumpled handkerchief. Diligently he dried her face. When he was finished he placed the cloth back into her hand.

"There are many people, that I would say do not belong in Gryffindor after me having seen what they live to do," George started carefully. "You do not even cross my mind to be put on that list. You have true horrors in your past Mione, some I'm sure I was never told about. Never be ashamed to have lived through them. Did you think of Harry as any less of a Gryffindor when he collapsed in front of the dementors on the train that one year? No. This is no different." George told her all of this matter of factly without looking away from her face.

Hermione's eyes began to fill again, but this time a small smile also graced her lips.

"Thanks George," she croaked. George gave her a small smile and squeezed her hand. "Anytime." He leaned forward and enveloped her small frame in a tight hug. He breathed in her scent. Fresh air from their day outside with a hint of lavender. Hermione hugged him back just as tightly. Hermione leaned back from the hug after a short time and George reluctantly loosened his hold on her. Hermione leaned up and placed a chaste kiss on his cheek before rising to her feet.

"We should get back to the common room," she told him. "It's getting close to curfew." George merely nodded, rather than throwing out a sarcastic comment about her being a boring goody goody, but Hermione didn't seem to notice. George stood from the couch and followed her to the door. They journeyed to Gryffindor tower in a comfortable silence. Hermione felt lighter than she had in ages, and George had too much to think about.

He was trying to focus on everything Hermione had told him. Her… difficulties. But every time he tried to focus, his mind drifted off to her stretching up toward him, his heart beating against his rib cage, her soft pink lips, and the heart stopping disappointment of them landing on his cheek. He had thought for sure… But he was being thick. How could Hermione ever like him like that? He was Ron's older brother. You know, the guy she was supposed to be crushing on.

All she had said about Ron before was that she had told him that she didn't want to start a relationship right away after the war. Not that she didn't want one at all. Of course she still fancied Ron. A several year long crush doesn't just go away after a few days spent in his company. Not that it took him long to fall for her, hard.

"Starlight." George was launched out of his thoughts. When did they get to the tower? That didn't take nearly as long as it should have.

George and Hermione stepped through the portrait hole and into the nearly empty common room.

"Where have you been?" a clearly agitated Lily asked them immediately after they arrived. Hermione's startled gaze swung to the armchair from which Lily had just stood and noticed the Marauders sitting around there also. They had looks on their faces ranging from curiosity to out right irritation (Sirius).

"What? Oh, umm…" Hermione had completely forgotten about the other 7th years with everything that had happened.

"Hey Lily. Guys," George greeted them with a small smile. "Er- Sorry about earlier. I kinda overreacted. Hermione and I were just at Hogsmead and got back a bit late," George explained. Lily narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"A bit late? Curfew is in 15 minutes. You missed dinner. We were worried sick. No one sent word that everything was ok. Just nothing," Lily fumed. Hermione looked bewildered and ashamed.

"I'm so sorry. I just-," but George interrupted her again.

"Does it matter, _Mum_?" Lily gasped in outrage, but George continued over her. "We're big kids. We know what we're doing. Last I checked we didn't need your permission to go to Hogsmead. What's it to you if we missed dinner, and last I checked 15 minutes before curfew is still _before curfew_. Besides that, we've known you less than 24 hours and you expect us to check in with you?" George angrily defended Hermione. After everything she'd just had to tell him, the last thing she needed was a guilt trip.

Lily looked torn. She could see he had a valid point. They were back before curfew, and they really didn't know each other. But at the same time she had been worried. She had thought Hermione would come back with George and they would all go to Hogsmead, but they never came.

"Well… Alright, you're right." The Marauder's all looked surprised that she'd given in so easily. "But still you've got to see it from our point of view. We thought Hermione would come back with you after she'd checked on you and we'd all go to the village. After an hour or so we even went down to Hogsmead to find you and couldn't find you anywhere. So yeah we got worried." The Marauders all nodded their agreement.

George could feel the back of his neck burn and knew it had turned red as it always did when he got embarrassed.

"Oh," he said. "We, er, must have still been at the Quidditch pitch at that point. I was, er, blowing off some steam," George answered. The boys all nodded their understanding, while Lily looked incredulous.

"The Quidditch pitch? In this weather?" she asked.

"Well, yeah," George responded as if it was an obvious answer. "It's Quidditch." Lily just shook her head and wisely decided to stay silent. Hermione smiled at her in understanding and Lily smiled back. All was forgiven.

Hermione and George made their way over to the other teens and sat amongst them. Hermione got the last spot on the couch next to Remus, so George sat on the floor in between her and Remus. Naturally the talk started about Quidditch. Hermione really couldn't care less about the subject. She got enough Quidditch talk by hanging around Ron and Harry, so she let her thoughts wander.

She wondered what Harry and Ron were up to right now. She wondered how long it would take anyone to notice her disappearance, or if it would even be noticeable. She and George might eventually get sent back right to when they'd left and have none be the wiser. Although, if the former were to occur she doubted that anyone would notice her disappearance. She had done such a good job of distancing herself from everyone that they probably wouldn't even notice she was gone until they came knocking on her door looking for George. It had been such a careful and gradual thing when she drew away from the group that no one even noticed she was distant.

This of course got her thinking about the war. Of everyone who would die. Of all the families that would be torn apart. The unsuspecting muggle population that would take such a devastating blow and yet still not know what had truly happened. And what _had_ truly happened? Voldemort. It would be so easy… Well certainly not easy, but easier, to take down Voldemort before he gets up to his full potential. To destroy the horcruxes now that they already knew where and what they were…

No. She couldn't afford to think like that. The most important rule of time travel was to not change anything. She mustn't change the future, disastrous things could happen. She could make someone pivotal not exist. Someone like Harry. She sighed quietly to herself. If only she had hope like George. She had always been some what of a pessimist. Not completely, but she always liked to think of things that could go wrong in her plans so she could avoid those results, and unfortunately that mindset forced her to focus on the bad rather a lot.

George had hope though. He could see the fullest possibilities and to him that made all the risks worth it. There was no reason in his mind to hold back and not try for the best. That, Hermione supposed, must have been part of the magic of the Weasley twins. They could fully focus on the light at the end of the tunnel and did their best to help everyone around them see it too. Hermione didn't even know what her light at the end of the tunnel was supposed to be anymore. Throughout the war it had always been defeating Voldemort, ending the war. Now she didn't know. What was she supposed to be working towards?

Vaguely, through the mists of her thoughts, Hermione realized that George was looking up at her as though he'd asked her a question.

"Hmmm?" she asked, not really paying attention to the answer, still focusing her mind on the answer to the question that eluded her. George smiled fondly at her.

"This is typical Hermione Granger everybody. We who are not important enough to draw her out from within her own mind try not to take offense, although this does happen on a rather frequent basis and it gets rather difficult not be offended sometimes," George announced grinning. This comment achieved its desired effect and caught Hermione's attention completely.

"What?" she snapped. George just grinned back as everyone else looked amused.

"Now that I have your attention I'll repeat the conversation you missed out on. Sirius here suggested a game of truth or dare to help us get to know each other better and everyone else has agreed. We were about to start." Hermione groaned.

"But I hate this game. It's so ridiculous," Hermione complained. George just continued to grin, having anticipated this response.

"Well then Mione dearest, you should have been paying attention to the conversation and let your opinion be known. As it is, we have already decided to play and we can't go back on our word," George told her. Hermione grumbled something under her breath and George's grin widened, his eyes shining with mischief.

"Now that we have everyone's attention, who would like to begin?" George asked. Sirius, ever the impatient one, raised his hand and wriggled around in his chair like an overexcited puppy.

"Oh, oh me! I want to! Me!" Everyone laughed.

"Alright then," George agreed.

"Hermione," Sirius immediately turned to the witch. "Truth or dare?" Hermione looked extremely apprehensive. She was usually more of a truth person, but considering the circumstances, didn't think it was the best idea. At the same time she was terrified of what the young Sirius Black would make her do. Merlin, she hated this game. Sucking up her courage she replied in a strong voice,

"Dare." Sirius' wicked smile was enough to make her immediately regret her decision. Had she said truth, knowing Sirius, he probably would have only asked her about her type of underwear or something equally embarrassing, but nothing that could risk exposure.

"I dare you, Hermione Granger, to kiss me, Sirius Black, on the lips for 10 seconds," Sirius proclaimed loudly. Hermione's jaw dropped and a look of revulsion quickly crossed her face. George stiffened against the couch. _Kiss Harry's godfather?_ Was all Hermione could think. _For 10 whole seconds? On the lips?_ How was she ever going to do this? This was going to be the longest kiss in the history of the universe.

Remus broke the tense silence. "She's been here for a day and you're already forcing her to kiss you? That's despicable." Remus must have seen how hesitant she was. Hermione prayed for a miracle. Maybe Remus could change Sirius' mind.

Sirius frowned. "But Moony…" he started.

"No Sirius that's just wrong. Pick something else." Sirius looked aghast at his friend.

"But it's the rules. There is no backing out, no changing of minds, once the dare or question leaves your mouth it's law!" Sirius proclaimed. Remus rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, but that's when it's just Marauders. It's different with other people around," Remus explained as though to a two year old. Sirius pouted.

"Fine. But keep in mind I don't like these new rules. Remus rolled his eyes again.

"Of course."

Hermione breathed a deep sigh of relief. She had been saved, but she wasn't out of the woods yet.

"Alright, so the new dare is…" Sirius paused to think, and then smiled and said "I dare you to kiss every male playing the game!" He announced as though he had thought up something incredibly clever. Hermione blushed scarlet and Remus opened his mouth to argue.

"Ah ah ah. Moony ol' boy. It's not me forcing her upon me now. It's a fair dare that involves everyone, except Lily," Sirius announced grinning. Just about everyone in the room looked uncomfortable about this, but not seeing a way out of it, without all of the later dares getting disputed over, were forced to say nothing.

George looked livid. It looks could kill Sirius would be a pile of ashes on the floor. Hermione shrugged and said nothing as though it were no big deal as she stood from her seat. Then she systematically started her way around the circle of chairs and couches giving each Marauder a kiss on the cheek starting with Remus, who had blushed furiously.

"Hey!" Sirius shouted as Hermione moved on to Peter and then to James. "I said-,"

Hermione kissed James cheek, as he sent an apologetic look to Lily, and then she turned to face Sirius and cut him off mid sentence.

"You said to kiss every male in the game. You failed to specify where or for how long," Hermione told him in a clipped tone before kissing his cheek, too. "There. I hope you enjoyed that, because it is all you will _ever_ get from me. I don't take to manipulation well," Hermione said trying to keep her anger in check. Sirius looked slightly abashed, but never the less, was never one to back down from a fight.

"What are you prude? You afraid to kiss a guy on the lips? Might get cooties? I bet you're still saving up your first kiss aren't you?" Sirius taunted. Remus opened his mouth to defend her, but Hermione waved him down. She was now furious. The few times she had been this angry she had done something irrational, like punch Malfoy, or set an angry flock of birds on Ron.

"Prude am I? Or maybe I keep my kisses for _men_ who deserve them, rather than little boys who have to trick girls into giving them what they can't get naturally." The room went deathly silent. Sirius' cheeks became a light pink in his anger.

"Prove it then," he demanded. "Prove that you aren't prude." Hermione glared fiercely and then surprisingly to everyone smirked.

"Fine," she said simply. "I can prove everything I just said easily." The entire room gaped at her, with the exception of George, who was sitting stiff as a board staring murderously at Sirius. The back of his neck and tips of his ears were red in anger.

Hermione spun away from Sirius and walked purposefully across the room straight at George. Before George could react enough to even remove his furious stare from Sirius' bewildered one, Hermione had plopped herself down in his lap. George turned surprised eyes to Hermione just in time for her to press her lips firmly against his own. He closed his eyes instinctively as his heart stuttered to a stop in his chest, but a moment later he was kissing her back.

She hesitated for a second at the amount of passion in the kiss, but almost immediately reengaged. It was a much different kiss than those she had experienced before. Victor had been nice, but the passion wasn't there. Her heart hadn't beat on her rib cage during any of his kisses. Even with Ron she hadn't truly enjoyed the kiss, hadn't completely lost herself until the only thing that mattered was the way his lips felt against hers. His scent clogged her senses, no, her senses had obviously just flown straight out the window. Hermione pushed herself closer against George's chest and felt his warm hands on her waist pulling her closer. Her hands were in his hair now. This was intoxicating-

"Oy! We get it now. Point proven!"

Sirius' voice dragged her back down to Earth and to a jarring halt. Hermione pulled her lips off George's and gasped in a breath. She hadn't realized how long she had been without air. That had to say something about the kiss. Her eyes locked with George's. He looked surprised, but was grinning and his eyes seemed to be twinkling in a way Hermione hadn't seen for a long time. Hermione could feel herself blushing, but smiled back. She turned her head and saw similar expressions of shock on each face of their new friends in the past. All except Lily who looked only faintly surprised, but also quite smug.

Hermione stood, only to have George also stand, move himself onto the couch, and pull her right back down onto his lap. Hermione blushed deeper, but made no move to change seats. She turned slightly and caught George's eye. George winked at her and whispered in her ear,

"You think after a kiss like that I'm going to let you run away? Not a chance Granger." Hermione blushed a little more and giggled shyly.

James cleared his throat.

"Err… Well then… Let's umm. Whose turn is next?" James asked, a bit disconcerted.

"Mine," George said happily. "Lily? Truth or dare?"

"Truth!" Lily said immediately. "After all that, I'd be a fool to pick anything else." There was a smattering of chuckles around the circle as everyone got over their shock.

"Alright then," George smiled wickedly. "What is your most embarrassing secret?" He asked. Lily flushed red.

"Erm. That would be when I was 10. We had a Christmas party that year and all of my parents' friends were over along with a few of mine and Petunia's, my sister. I, er, had thought my pants I'd been wearing felt a little odd, but didn't really pay attention, because I was having fun with my friends. Then I was showing off and did a cart wheel outside and my shirt rode up a bit. Apparently one of my sister's thongs had gotten caught in my pants in the laundry and was now hanging out the top of my pants.

"My friends laughed themselves silly and I was so embarrassed I just wanted to disappear, so erm, I did. I accidentally made myself invisible. So then the accidental magic team had to come out and modify my friends' memories and set me right. Petunia has never let me live it down. Now you guys and my immediate family are the only ones who know." Lily said this all very fast, like the faster she said it the less impact it would have. Everyone was silent for a moment until Sirius and Peter burst out laughing. It was a near thing for the rest of them, but for Lily's sake they held it in.

The two Marauders who were laughing quickly stopped as Lily had glared them into submission.

"My turn," Remus said in a strained voice as he held himself together. "James, Truth or Dare?"

"Dare of course!" James exclaimed proudly. Everyone rolled their eyes.

"Alright then, I dare you to skip around the common room, in nothing but your underpants, and sing as loudly as possible, a song of your choice," Remus told him smirking. James didn't even bat a lash.

"Ok!" He started pulling off clothes. Both Hermione and Lily went a little pink. Hermione averted her gaze and instead examined her fingernails, whereas Lily covertly checked him out from the corners of her eyes.

"Lily dearest, you like what you see?" James asked as he struck a pose. Hermione couldn't help but look up. He had his hands on his hips with one hip jutted out and his head thrown back. Hermione had to admit, Quidditch does great things to a body. If only it didn't look so comical in red and gold dragon print boxers. Hermione stifled a laugh whereas Lily didn't bother.

"Oh yes James darling," she told him grinning now, but her cheeks still pink. "The boxers are just the cutest thing I've ever seen! Go on now. Give us a twirl," she teased. James twirled as Lily commanded. Everyone laughed. James was certainly not the twirling type.

"Well get on with it!" Remus told him. "We haven't got all night." James sent a mock glare at Remus, but began skipping around the room regardless. Hermione didn't recognize the song. It was obviously a wizard children's song. Hermione got something about a tap dancing dragon and a magic carpet ride, but the song was mostly drowned out by the roaring laughter of those around her.

She could feel George's laughter rumbling through his chest and it was probably the reason she laughed as much and as hard as she did. She laughed until she cried. It was the first time she had laughed like this since… She couldn't even remember when.

Beneath her George was laughing just as hard. Maybe everything was extra funny because he was just incredibly happy, or maybe it really was the sight of a 17 year old male skipping in dragon boxers and singing a children's song from his childhood. Either way George was happier than he could remember being since before Fred had gone and he was sure a lot of it had to do with the pretty witch with tears running down her face in his lap. For the second time that night just looking at her took his breath away.

James finished his song and skipped back to his friends, breathing slightly hard.

"So Miss Evans," James pretended to toss his hair. "Think you got a keeper?" Lily giggled.

"Oh I don't know," she started, pretending to be unsure. "Something about those boxers…" James faked being shocked.

"What?! But Padfoot got these for me! If you can't accept Paddy I don't think we can work," he said shaking his head sadly. Lily looked crestfallen.

"But I've actually started to like you a tiny bit. What can we do to fix this?" She asked. James pretended to think.

"Hmmm well you certainly need to be punished to make sure this won't happen again… I know!" He announced and then sat on Lily's lap, clad only in his boxers. "I shall sit on you for the rest of the game for your punishment," he announced. Lily had flushed red.

"Well that is a fabulous punishment, but could you put your clothes on? You know in case McGonagall or someone comes. We're Head Boy and Girl," she reminded him. James sighed in defeat.

"Fine," James whined as he stood and began redressing.

"My turn?" Peter asked. Everyone nodded. "Moony, Truth or Dare?"

"Truth," Moony replied. Peter frowned. "But I don't have one of those thought up already," he complained. Remus rolled his eyes.

"Too bad. Think of something." Peter frowned and thought for a minute.

"Alright. If you were stranded on a deserted island with someone and neither of you had wands, who would you least want it to be?" Peter asked with a slight smirk.

"Sirius," Remus answered immediately.

"Hey!" Sirius shouted, clearly offended. "Why me?" he whined.

"Because you'd drive me insane with your incessant whining and I'd probably just drown trying to swim somewhere else to get away from you," Remus told him straight-faced. Sirius crossed his arms and pouted while everyone else laughed.

"George, Truth or Dare?" Lily asked.

"Dare," George told her. Lily sat and thought for a second and then said, "I dare you to set off a prank tomorrow," she told him. The Marauders all looked at her in shock. Lily Evans? Daring someone to do a prank? George thought a moment and then nodded his agreement.

"It'll give me less planning time than I'd hoped for, but I think we could pull off that one we talked about earlier, Mione."

Hermione groaned. "I'd hoped you'd forgotten." George laughed.

"Me? Forget a prank? Not in this lifetime," he grinned at her. She grimaced back, but it quickly turned into a smile.

"I should've known better."

"Yes, you should have," George agreed nodding.

"Wait, you're a prankster?" Sirius accused. George nodded.

"Oh yeah. Caused quite a bit of trouble in my time at H- home," George quickly amended. Hermione sent him a look over her shoulder and he just grinned back. Sirius scowled, but James laughed.

"Brilliant! What kind of-,"

"James," Lily said in exasperation from beneath the excitable boy, "Could we please continue with the game? You can talk pranks later." James sighed.

"Oh alright, Padfoot, Truth or Dare?"

"Dare!" Sirius exclaimed unnecessarily.

"Alright, I dare you to wear your hair pink all day tomorrow and anytime someone says the word Quidditch you have to yell as loud as possible 'I love Severus Snape!'" James instructed smugly. Sirius looked horrified.

"What did I do to you?" he asked.

"What? Oh you mean besides all of those times you dared me to ask out Lily in the stupidest ways possible? Or all the pranks you dared me to play on her?" James asked. Sirius shrugged.

"Well I guess someone's still sore…" Remus and Peter just laughed at the antics of their friends. Lily looked at James.

"Those were dares?" James ran his hand through his hair.

"Most of them," he told her. "The time I asked you out by charming the words 'Go out with me Evans' on your face in pimples, and the time I transfigured your uniform into a leotard and had you do back flips around the Great Hall both were," James told her sheepishly. Lily rolled her eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me at the time they were dares?" James chuckled.

"Honestly, you would've thought I was even stupider for still doing them. And it's in the Marauder rules that we can't tell anyone it's a dare. Makes it funnier when people don't know the reasoning," James explained. Lily rolled her eyes again.

"Marauders," she grumbled. James just grinned at her.

"Well," Remus said standing up and stretching. "I'm off to bed."

Everyone started murmuring their assent and stood also, before saying their goodnights and heading for their dorms. George remained seated though, even as Hermione stood from his lap.

"Aren't you going to bed?" she asked. George shook his head.

"I've got a prank to plan remember? These things don't just happen you know," he told her as he summoned some parchment, a quill, and an ink bottle. Hermione rolled her eyes, but grinned.

"Of course not. Do you want me to stay and help?" she asked nicely even as she stifled a yawn. George just smiled at her kindness, even when it was something she didn't approve of she'd stay up late to help him.

"Nah, it's okay Mione. I can handle it. You've had a long day. Get some sleep," he told her. Hermione smiled.

"Thanks George." She turned to go to her dorm, but a hand on her arm stopped her. Hermione turned to see that George had stood and was the one to stop her departure.

"One more thing," he said. Then he leaned down and kissed her softly and sweetly. No sooner had Hermione's eyes drifted shut than it was over. She opened her eyes to see George with a small smile tugging the corner of his lips.

"Tomorrow we will be talking about that kiss," George told her seriously. Hermione nodded, still a little dazed from the sudden kiss. George pecked her lips one last time.

"Night Mione."

"Goodnight George," Hermione replied with a slight smile, before turning and heading up the stairs to her dorm. She leaned against the closed door before entering and touched her lips. She could still feel his warmth and the butterflies had yet to leave her stomach. She smiled to herself, liking the sensation. Then opened the door and entered her dorm, intent on having some sweet dreams.

The next day Hermione awoke to bright sunshine and a light feeling in her chest. She smiled thinking about the night before. She really liked George. She never would have guessed it, but they were actually pretty good for each other. He could make her smile and laugh and she the same for him. But is that all there had to be to it? Just laughter and happiness? There was this feeling in her stomach she got lately whenever she thought about him or was in his presence, but she hadn't really had the chance to analyze it yet, so she'd been ignoring it.

Hermione got out of bed and dressed and prepared for her day. All the while she thought about George and how he made her feel. She wondered what she should say to him about the kiss yesterday. He obviously liked her back, otherwise he wouldn't have kissed her goodnight. Hermione, lost in thought, nearly bowled someone over as she exited the bathroom.

"Oh I'm sorry!" she exclaimed as she grabbed the girl's arm to steady her. She was slightly shorter than Hermione. She had brown eyes, round cheeks, and pretty, smooth brown hair, even after just waking up. She also looked vaguely familiar.

"Oh, it's alright," the girl replied. I wasn't expecting anyone to be up. Usually I'm the first one anymore, since Lily moved to her Head dorm." The girl smiled at her prettily and Hermione smiled back. She seemed rather nice.

"I'm Alice by the way. Alice Fortescue," she introduced herself and held out her hand. Hermione accepted her hand and they shook.

"Hermione Granger. Pleased to finally meet you. We must have been just missing each other all yesterday." Alice grinned.

"Actually, the reason you didn't see me yesterday was because I spent the whole day with my boyfriend, Frank Longbottom. He graduated last year you see, so we only get to see each other on holidays and Hogsmead weekends anymore." Hermione nodded, but her smile had frozen on her lips at the mention of her boyfriend's name. She now knew why this girl looked familiar. She could see a little bit of Neville in this kind face. Soon she would marry her boyfriend, they would give birth to Hermione's friend, and then a year and some odd months later both would be tortured to into insanity. Hermione suppressed a shudder at the thought.

"Well it was lovely to meet you Alice," Hermione told her sincerely. "I'll see you at breakfast?"

"Of course!" Alice beamed. Once Hermione was sure she could leave without seeming rude she fled the room trying desperately to steady her breathing and hold back the tears threatening to pool into her eyes. Such a sweet girl with such a terrible fate. Hermione emerged from the girls' staircase.

"Hey Hermione!" Hermione turned to see George sitting with the Marauders by the fire looking excited. "Come here. I want to… What's wrong?" his expression immediately changed from his childlike excitement to deep concern.

"Nothing," Hermione squeaked. She had tried to school her features to look normal, but some of her despair must have shown through.

"Bull," George told her simply and stared her down defiantly. Hermione sighed in defeat.

"Fine, but I won't say anything out here," Hermione surrendered. George nodded and beckoned her to follow him out the portrait hole. As it was still relatively early, the halls were mostly clear. George pulled Hermione behind a tapestry and cast a silencing spell.

"Now what happened?" George asked gently.

"I met one of my dorm mates just before I came down to the common room. Her name is Alice Fortescue," Hermione paused and looked at George who looked confused.

"Fortescue? Like the ice cream shop?" He asked, not seeing where this was going.

"More than likely," Hermione replied. "She has a boyfriend who graduated last year." George looked more confused than ever and opened his mouth to speak, but Hermione held up her hand. "His name is Frank Longbottom." George's jaw dropped. He hadn't expected that bombshell.

"Oh," was all he said. Hermione nodded.

"Just wait until you meet her, Alice. She is one of the kindest people I've ever met and I only had a two minute conversation with her. She's so happy and innocent." This time Hermione couldn't stop the tears.

"It's so hard knowing what happens, George. It's horrible what happens to such a sweet girl. And what's worse is that I have the knowledge to stop it, to change everything, and I can't." Hermione started fully crying now. She seemed to be doing that more and more lately. George pulled her into a hug and stroked her hair.

"I know exactly what you mean. The more I get to know James, Sirius, and Remus… Even Peter isn't so bad right now. And Lily… It's awful. But I have hope. That voice, what it said." Hermione groaned and pulled back.

"Please don't start on that, George. I can't take it right now. You know where I stand. We don't know-," George cut her off.

"Exactly, we don't know!" George exclaimed excitedly. "We don't that anything will go wrong! Everything could go right! There's a chance that everything will work out!" Hermione shook her head.

"But I'm not willing to take that chance. What if we make everything worse? At least how things are Voldemort is eventually defeated. What if we mess it up and Harry doesn't win? The world would be thrown into darkness. Muggles enslaved or just outright exterminated, Half bloods more than likely enslaved, Purebloods in charge. I'm not willing to be responsible for that, George," Hermione said sadly, stepping out of his arms.

"But think if it works Hermione!" George tried desperately. "The lives we could save! The families we'd keep together!"

"Damn it, George, I know!" Hermione yelled out of frustration. "You don't think I haven't thought about all of that? Do you realize that I was in the middle of all of that in the war? Seeing families torn apart by Voldemort. My family? Your family? Do you realize that I'll be forever marked by what happened to me in the war, both mentally and physically? I've been labeled! I'm screwed up George! Do you think I'd wish that upon anyone else? No!" George was silent for a moment.

"What do you mean by labeled?" he asked quietly. Hermione sighed and covered her face with one of her hands. She just had to let that slip.

"I keep it covered with a glamour charm," she said hesitantly after she'd dropped her hand to her side.

"Show me," George demanded, his face carefully blank. Hermione sighed again and pointed her wand at the inside of her forearm and performed the counter charm.

"It's from Malfoy Manor. Bellatrix-," Hermione was interrupted.

"THAT BITCH!" George bellowed. "I'll kill her right now! I don't care-," George swept aside the tapestry and Hermione grabbed his arm.

"NO George! You mustn't! Your mother already-," Hermione's words died in her throat at the sight of the group of students standing outside of the tapestry they had been hiding behind. The Marauders, Lily, Alice, and a girl Hermione had yet to meet stood there staring at them wide eyed. Almost at once, the uninvited group's eyes rested on Hermione's exposed forearm where she was still clutching George. MUDBLOOD was carved grotesquely into her skin in jagged lettering. The group looked appalled.

"My cousin did that to you?" Sirius finally asked after an astonished silence. His question, or maybe it was his pink hair, seemed to finally snap Hermione out of her state of shock. A look of horror crossed her face.

"Oh Merlin what have we done," she whispered.

"How much did you hear?' George asked the group. James opened his mouth to answer, but Hermione cut him off.

"Not here!" she said shrilly. "You'd think we'd learn from our mistakes!"

"Let's go to the Room of Requirement then," George suggested. Hermione and the Marauders nodded, whereas the other girls looked confused.

"The wha-," The new girl started to ask, but was cut off by an entirely different voice.

"Would you mind if I were to join you?" Hermione closed her eyes in horror. That could not be who she thought it was. "I was just seeking to have a conversation with Miss Granger and Mr. Westley, but now it might be prudent for the rest of you to join us." She braced herself and turned slowly, only to see Albus Dumbledore standing before her with his damned twinkling eyes. Could this day get any worse?

**AN: Hope you enjoyed it. If you don't like fluff then I apologize. It just kind of spews out everywhere when I write. I also apologize if you don't like cliff hangers. They are a certain specialty of mine. ;-)**

**As always, me 3 reviews. :-D**


	7. Ch 7: It's Completely Selfish in a Way

_**Disclaimer: It wasn't me!**_

**AN: Beautiful reviews everyone! And a shout out to those who have favorited or are following: I love you all too. =)**

_**Previously…**_

"_Actually, I was rather hoping you could all join me in my office for a spot of tea and a friendly conversation." Hermione closed her eyes in horror. That could not be who she thought it was. She braced herself and turned slowly, only to see Albus Dumbledore standing before her with his damned twinkling eyes. Could this day get any worse?_

**Chapter 7: "It's Completely Selfish in a Way"**

_ We need somewhere for the 10 of us to sit and talk comfortably where we can't be overheard or interrupted. _Hermione paced in front of a special section of wall on the 7th floor until a door appeared. She and George led the way, James Remus, Peter, and a pink haired Sirius not far behind, followed by Lily, Alice, the new girl, and Dumbledore bringing up the rear. The last four who entered the large room looked around with curiosity etched on their faces.

It was then that Hermione realized with dismay that Dumbledore was never supposed to know about the Room of Requirement. They were changing things. This was very bad. Maybe she could perform memory charms on all of them before she and George went back. Just the thought made her feel sick to her stomach. Not changing anything and just letting it happen how it should was one thing, but actively making sure that future did happen by modifying peoples' memories was entirely different. Hermione glanced at George.

He looked completely at ease in the giant purple beanbag he had selected. It didn't seem to bother him at all that suddenly a whole horde of people more than likely knew they were from the future or that they were changing things. But of course this would be because this is what he wanted. He wanted to change everything and take risks. Hermione could feel a stress headache coming on and began rubbing her temples as she sat in a large cushioned chair next to George.

"You alright?" George asked her.

"Just peachy," she snapped back. "It's not like we have the fate of the world resting on our every decision or anything." George just stared at her with his eyebrows raised until she sighed "I might be a tiny bit stressed," she added. George grinned.

"Don't worry Mione. It'll all work out," George told her. Hermione scowled.

"You don't know that," she replied.

"Yes I do," George said seriously. "Because I know we'll do everything in our power to make things right." Hermione sighed.

"But what if it's out of our power?" Hermione asked.

"It isn't. I know we can do this. Anything is possible if you've got enough nerve."

"I don't think that applies to this situation, George," Hermione said suddenly incredibly irritated. "This isn't a school prank."

"Of course it's not," George agreed. "It's about taking down Voldemort and making the world a better place. If you, Harry, and Ron can do it why can't the 10 of us here?" George asked her. Hermione rubbed her temples.

"Because we don't know-," she started.

"Stop saying that," George told her, betraying his irritation. "How about we stop focusing on what we don't know and focus on what we do know. What we do know is exactly how to defeat Voldemort. We know what he plans to do. We know that not killing him in this time will cause him to kill hundreds, if not thousands more. We know that he will take down the ministry, take over Hogwarts, and hunt down muggleborns. When you were hunting down horcruxes with Harry and Ron I don't think you got the full impact of how it was for everyone else, Hermione. I'm not saying you didn't experience your own difficulties," George added quickly, seeing her open her mouth furiously.

"I'm just saying that you weren't able to see how terrifying it was for everyone else. Parents were forced to send their children to Hogwarts where they were taught unforgivables and forced to use them on other students, or had them used on themselves. It was either that, or have their entire family hunted down and murdered. Death Eaters rampaged. Killing muggles for sport and anyone who tried to get in the way. Then there was how elusive Voldemort was. No one knew where he was or what he was doing. For all they knew he could be walking down their street. People we terrified.

"And the ministry couldn't help them. They were the same as Death Eaters at that point. People had no one to turn to, no one they could completely trust. There was only one person they could rally behind, but no one knew where he was, what he was doing, or if he was even still alive."

"Don't you dare blame Harry for anything! If not for him-," Hermione shouted.

"I'm not Hermione!" George said in exasperation. "Why would I blame Harry? I know who killed Voldemort and I know you guys were hunting horcruxes. I'm just saying that at the time no one did know what you were doing. Only members of the Order knew Harry was on a mission from Dumbledore. To the rest of the world it could very easily have looked like he ran for it. And the _Prophet_ had it all set up too, what with their past of bashing Harry. It was very easy for people who didn't know Harry at all to think that he wasn't fighting, and that was it for them. They didn't fight either," George explained. "So do you see now what I'm trying to stop? It is worth any risk to stop Voldemort from getting that much control and to that height of power."

Hermione sighed and picked at her sweater to avoid looking at George.

"I see what you mean George and I want that too. I just… I need more information. If I could just get some time to do some research…,"

"I might be able to help you there Miss Granger." Hermione looked up surprised. She wasn't really sure what she had expected the others of their party to be doing, but sitting quietly and listening to her and George's conversation was not it. Dumbledore, seeing that he had her attention, continued,

"I have done some research of my own since you have arrived, with the help of various correspondents of mine. The results, I think, are startlingly pleasant," he said smiling. Hermione looked slightly surprised and George grinned.

"The Goddess who spoke to you before you traveled to this time is called Ma'at. Ma'at is the goddess of truth, justice, and harmony. She is responsible for maintaining balance on Earth." Hermione got a skeptical look on her face.

"But professor, Gods and Goddesses aren't _real_ are they? I mean they don't really exist. Muggles just thought them up," she told him timidly. Dumbledore smiled.

"Actually, some of them are actually real. Now they weren't _truly_ Gods or Goddesses as the stories would have us believe, but they were incredible witches and wizards in the past. Some of them have even managed to enchant certain temples or pyramids to keep doing their will after their death. How they achieved that we may never know. The information has been lost to us for centuries," Dumbledore told the students of the room. Hermione and George both looked very apprehensive about this new information.

"This is starting to sound a lot like horcruxes," Hermione told the Headmaster. "We came across one in the form of a diary and the memory of the person who created it was able to possess someone and almost killed her to become a corpeal being." Dumbledore looked faintly surprised at her story.

"That is some very powerful dark magic. How did you save the girl? I'm assuming you didn't know the diary was a horcrux at the time or the girl would have never let herself get into that kind of position," Dumbledore asked curiously.

Hermione smiled and shook her head. "Oh I wasn't the one to save her. I was petrified in the hospital wing at the time. My best friend Harry saved her. And you're right. She had no idea what it was." Everyone in the room, minus George who was smirking, looked incredibly shocked at what she had. Petrified? Hermione savored the pause and then added nonchalantly, "Oh and Harry killed the bit of soul in the diary and saved Ginny by stabbing the diary with a basilisk fang." The reaction of the rest of the room was hilarious. The new girl went white as a sheet, Alice choked on her spit, Remus's eyes grew round as dinner plates, Peter fell off of the couch he was sharing with James and Lily, who both gasped, and Sirius, who had been lounging back in his chair, fell backward onto the floor. Hermione would have laughed, but then she saw the fury blazing in Dumbledore's eyes and immediately grew somber. George had about the same reaction.

"I'm assuming this incident happened at Hogwarts?" Dumbledore asked calmly. Hermione and George nodded. "The Chamber of Secrets?" he asked as though he dreaded the answer. The time travelers nodded a second time.

"But no one died this time," Hermione added quickly. Dumbledore nodded and looked less angry, but the students of the room were still slightly fearful.

"Am I also correct in thinking this horcrux belonged to Voldemort and it possessed Ginny and had her open the chamber?" Hermione and George nodded again. "How did Harry get the fang? Who killed it?" Hermione and George traded glances.

"We may as well start from the beginning," George told her. Hermione grimaced.

"But we broke so many rules that year," she whined. George laughed.

"You lot break lots of school rules every year!" George told her gleefully. Hermione frowned and opened her mouth to set him straight, but then paused thinking it through.

"Well… That's true, but we always have good reason!" Hermione told him. George rolled his eyes. Hermione paused thinking for a moment.

"Professor I really don't think we should be telling you all of this. We're possibly really damaging the future," she told him looking nervous. Dumbledore smiled.

"Perhaps I should finish explaining the results of my research Miss Granger," Dumbledore told her kindly. "We seem to have gotten a bit side tracked." Hermione nodded, not quite understanding why he had side stepped her concern, but stayed silent. She wasn't exactly the type to question the Headmaster.

"As I was saying earlier, one of my correspondents informed me of several instances in the past where Ma'at has intervened in human life to keep the balance equal. Usually when she does this she uses other humans to do it. He said when things would become particularly dark for the Egyptians they would enter a secret room in her pyramid and perform a chant. Sometimes the goddess would not respond. Other times she would either send someone to go find a certain person who could fix things, or perform a secret spell of her own invention.

"A great number of tests have been performed in her pyramid chamber to try to reveal what this spell does, but no such luck. The only information that could be gleaned from these tests is that it was very powerful magic that no one has ever seen the likes of before. I think now we might have a hint as to what that spell did," Dumbledore told them, his eyes twinkling. "There have also been some tales told by various people in our history that not many have set store by in the past. The tales were too far fetched and even at the times that some were told, thought to be completely impossible.

"There have been stories of witches and wizards who claim to have traveled to the past to save the world from some horrible fate. Most people find these stories far fetched and unbelievable. For one, the things they have claimed have never come to pass. And for another the people telling the stories have always been a little odd and not fit in, which leads to them being outcasts. Because of the recordings of these instances and our own predicament I believe that the time travelers of the past were successful in changing the future and that it can be done again. It is also my belief that the spell used to send you back in time created a second timeline starting the instant you appeared here," Dumbledore finished, smiling at the students before him. The students sat in shocked silence for a minute until George leapt from his seat, struck his fist in the air, and let out a loud whoop. The students from the current time all smiled and laughed with each other. They weren't entirely sure what was going on, but they knew that being allowed to change the future was a good thing.

Hermione was the only one not celebrating. She had to process all of this new information first. They could fix things. They could create a better future than what she had to live through. They could put an end to the war, an end to the suffering, and an end to the senseless killing. She started to smile. George interrupted her thoughts by grabbing her hands and pulling her to her feet and then just as quickly picking her up by the waist and spinning with her in his arms. Hermione let out a laugh.

"George you fool put me down," she told him, playfully wacking him in the back.

"Aww, but Mione I'm celebrating," George pouted. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"There will be plenty of time for celebrating once Voldemort is dead," she informed him. "Right now what we need to focus on is making a plan. We need to figure out as many details as possible about what he does in this time. We need to map out the horcruxes, where and what they are. We need to know if he's even made all of them yet. There is so much work to do! So many plans to make!" George smiled fondly and rolled his eyes.

"Hermione relax for five seconds would you? We have plenty of time for all of that. Let's just for today celebrate a brighter future. While we're hunting horcruxes we might not get the chance to relax and have as much fun," George told her. Hermione nodded.

"Oh alright. But only because last time I went horcrux hunting it was awful and I'm not looking forward to round two. Although it should be much easier this time, since we know where to look and what to look for." George smiled happily.

"It's settled then," George declared. "We're having a party." Hermione's eyes widened.

"A party? But… No. We can't have a party! The Headmaster is here!" Hermione told him. George opened his mouth, but Dumbledore spoke before he had the chance.

"I heard nothing of anyone throwing a party, but if that were to be the plan for the evening I would suggest that it wait an hour or so. I would very much like to hear about the Chamber of Secrets," Dumbledore told them with a wink. "Did we just get permission to throw a party?" Peter asked dumbfounded.

"Don't question it!" James, Sirius, and George yelled in unison. Peter jumped in surprise, whereas the girls just rolled their eyes. George and Hermione looked at each other.

"You should tell it, as you were the one involved in most of it, and I'll just add in any parts I think might be missing," George told her. Hermione nodded.

"Should I start at the beginning beginning? Or just tell about that year?" Hermione asked George. George looked around at the group of people in the room. Could they trust them?

"Who are you?" he demanded of the new girl. She looked irritated at the way she had been addressed, but answered anyway.

"Nicolette Gilliam," she answered and left it at that. George raised his eyebrows and stared at her. She just stared right back. Lily sighed impatiently.

"Oh for heaven's sake Nikki! We can trust them!" She burst out and then turned to Hermione and George. "This is Nikki, one of my best friends. She has been outspoken against V-V-Voldemort since the day I met her, our first night here at Hogwarts," Lily giggled remembering. "She caused quite the scene if I remember correctly." Nikki stuck her tongue out at her friend.

"Yeah well that prat Diggory didn't know what he was talking about. Going on about how stupid it was that Voldemort had gotten as strong as he is. That it was the aurors fault for not stopping him sooner. It's not like he made an announcement to the ministry 'Hey just so everyone knows I think I'm going to start taking over the wizarding world tomorrow. Thought I'd let you all know!' Diggory is such a buffoon," she said rolling her eyes and looking disgusted.

Lily giggled again. "The look on his face was priceless. He couldn't believe a little first year would dare tell off a fifth year. On her first day too! No one has ever doubted that you belong in Gryffindor," Lily said smiling fondly at her friend. Dumbledore cleared his throat. Lily looked slightly abashed, but smiled all the same.

"Anyway," George continued, "If anyone here is not willing to die to defeat Voldemort leave now." He cut right to the point. Many eyes widened, but no one moved.

"Seriously," he continued. "This is not something you should be doing just because your friends are," he said with a long look at Peter, who shifted uncomfortably. "This isn't a game, this isn't a joke. This is war and it gets intense and people die. People change in war. Some for the better and some for the worst," as he said this he couldn't help but send another glare at Peter. Peter started looking worried and confused. "If you are not completely and one hundred percent willing to die to protect muggles, muggleborns, wizards, witches, strangers, and friends," another glare at Peter, "then please do us all a huge favor and leave." There was complete silence for a minute or two. Peter broke it.

"Wh-what do I do in your world? In- In the future?" He asked hesitantly with a large amount of trepidation. He could already tell by the looks George had been sending him that he wouldn't like the answer. Dark looks immediately shadowed George and Hermione's faces. They exchanged glances and Hermione nodded slightly.

"You betray James, Lily, and their son to Voldemort." Stunned looks crossed the faces of everyone in the room, but George wasn't finished yet. "He murders James and Lily, but the killing curse intended for their son rebounds and he is reduced to a pitiful being. You frame Sirius with their murder and fake your death so that Sirius spends twelve years in Azkaban and even Remus is convinced of his guilt. You live as a pet rat until Sirius escapes, then you go on the run back to Voldemort so he can protect you from your own friends. You are pivotal to Voldemort's return to power. You brewed the potion that gave him back his body and sacrificed your hand to complete it. Voldemort gave you a new magical hand which in the end strangled and killed you because you accidentally showed Harry mercy."

There was complete and utter silence in the room. Peter was white as a sheet and looked a little nauseous. Lily and James were holding hands looking grim and afraid. Sirius looked furious. Remus looked dazed and angry. Alice looked fearful and Nikki looked furious and slightly shocked. Dumbledore just looked sad.

"How? But? I- I don't… Why would I sell out my friends to Voldemort? Why would I do any of that? I don't understand," Peter said looking horribly confused and afraid. Hermione frowned in thought, trying to remember what he had said that night in the Shrieking Shack all of those years ago.

"You… You were afraid of Voldemort. He was killing lots of people. Lots of people in the secret society Dumbledore started that you were all a part of had been murdered. They weren't pretty murders either. No simple Avada Kedavras. Torture. Lots of torture. And violence. Take the Prewitt brothers for instance-," Hermione was interrupted

"Gideon and Fabien?" James asked looking apprehensive. Hermione nodded grimly.

"Yeah. Only bits of them were found." Everyone paled and looked faintly sick. "They were against a whole group of Death Eaters, but they fought like heroes." Hermione told them. Everyone was silent for a long time, lost in thoughts about the grim futures that awaited them. George broke through the silence and their thoughts.

"That's why it is so important that only those of you who are fully prepared to lay down your lives for the cause should stay. You could die and I can almost promise that it won't quick and painless. Death Eaters like to play with their food before they eat it," George said gesturing to Hermione's arm. "And it's not just death that you have to fear. You could be imperiosed and forced to do their bidding, you could be captured and imprisoned as their play thing, you could be tortured into insanity," George couldn't help but shoot a half glance at Alice, who gasped and lost a little more color.

"What happens?" she asked bravely even though she looked like she could faint at any second. George sent her an apologetic look, but it was Hermione who answered.

"You and Frank get married and have a little boy, Neville. It happens after Voldemort was defeated the first time. You were all so close to getting out of the war," Hermione choked on a sob and George took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Hermione took a deep steadying breath.

"You and Frank were both aurors and some death eaters who had yet to be arrested attacked you looking for information on where Voldemort had gone. They- They tortured you with the cruciatus curse until you went insane, both of you. Neville was raised by Frank's mum and still visits you both in the permanent ward at St. Mungos, but you can't talk and don't recognize him," Hermione said tearfully. Alice was still very pale and had tears in her eyes. "I almost lost it in the dorm earlier when I found out who you were. It's awful what happened to you. You're such a kind person."

Alice gave a half smile. "Thanks. So Frank's mum huh?" she asked, trying to relieve some of the tension in the room. "That'll instill confidence issues no doubt." Hermione gave a watery chuckle.

"He grew out of them. He's amazingly brave and a very kind young man. He was a huge help in defeating Voldemort and in helping the Hogwarts students after Voldemort took over." Alice beamed at the news.

"He sounds wonderful. I hope this time around I get to raise him," she said wistfully. Hermione shot her a half smile.

"That's what we're here to make happen," she told her. Everyone in the room went quiet for awhile, alone with their thoughts. Hermione and George settled down together in Hermione's armchair and got comfortable. They knew they would be here awhile, even if the rest hadn't realized they had only touched the tip of the ice berg. Almost all that had been revealed so far was just background story.

George pulled Hermione back against his chest and buried his face in her hair, resting. Hermione got comfortable against his chest and watched Peter, thinking. He was the biggest wildcard of the group. He was the only one that had gone to the wrong side in this group. Would he be determined to change now that he knew the future that awaited him on his current course? Hermione would love to give him a second chance. To give the Marauders a second chance. But she refused to put her friends in danger for that chance.

Peter was shifting uncomfortably on the couch next to James. How did he change so much? Here he was sitting on the same couch as James and Lily, his friends. Was he really destined to be the cause of their deaths? The thought made him angry and nauseous. He needed to change. He needed to become more like his friends. The way they had talked in the dorm the day before, when they had talked about defending others and standing up to You-Know-W-. No. Voldemort. He needed to be more like that. He needed to put his friends and the rest of the world's lives before his own. He took a deep shaky breath and turned to James next to him.

"J-James. Lily. I'm so sorry. I- I don't know what happens to me between now and then, but right now I'm horrified that I'm capable of something like that," Peter started. James and Lily were both just looking at him. James looked reserved, like he was purposely keeping his thoughts off his face. This worried Peter. James was rarely serious. Lily looked apprehensive, but also a little fearful.

"I don't want to become that person, ever," he told them. "And I'm not just saying that because of what happens to me. I'm saying that because I literally feel sick that I could just disregard my friends like that when I know you guys would do anything for me. You-Kno- Voldemort," Peter said determinedly. Everyone looked slightly surprised. "Scares me a lot more than I want to admit, but I want to change that. I want to be able to say things like you guys were yesterday. I want to be able to feel that other people's lives are more important than my own." Peter looked desperately at his friends, begging them with his eyes to understand. George sighed.

"Peter, it's not that we're not afraid… It's… I can't explain it," George stumbled through his words, trying to voice a concept that just came naturally to him.

"Courage is not the absence of fear, Peter," Dumbledore spoke quietly, "but rather the idea that something is more important than being afraid." Peter nodded slowly.

"So… So you're all afraid of Voldemort too? You just know that fighting against him is more important so you ignore your fear?" Peter asked to make sure he understood. Dumbledore smiled at him.

"Precisely." Dumbledore told him. Hermione decided it was time for her to speak up.

"Peter, I'm terrified of Voldemort. I'm terrified of what he can do to me, of what he can do to my family, and what he can do to my friends. But that fear is also _why_ I fight. It propels me forward in battle. My hands may shake, but I know deep down there is nothing else I'd rather be doing than putting my life on the line to try and save my friends. I know that the only way to truly ensure that my friends and family are safe is to get rid of Voldemort completely. It's completely selfish in a way. I'd rather me die by the hands of Voldemort than have to bear my friends or family dying," Hermione told him. George went completely pale behind her.

"That's it! No more battles for you!" He shouted. Hermione jumped, startled by his unexpected and loud voice.

"What?" she asked automatically even though she knew precisely what he had said and why he'd said it. She turned in his lap so she could see his face while they spoke.

"I will not have you dying for anyone. So no more battles for you. You're scaring the shit out of me talking like that, Hermione," he ran a hand through his hair. "You're going to give me gray hairs just thinking about you in battle!" Hermione gave George a sad smile.

"You know you can't keep me safe holed up somewhere, George. I'd go mental. I'd be so worried. And it's not like I'm not already a target. I'm a Mudblood remember?" She told him, holding out her arm. George looked angry.

"Don't call yourself that Hermione. You're a better witch and person than most of the purebloods combined!" George told her passionately. Hermione smiled sadly at him.

"Thanks George, but I am what I am. I'm not ashamed. I know my strengths and I know my weaknesses. I don't consider being a muggleborn a weakness, so I'm not going to treat it like it is. In fact, I think being muggleborn is more of an asset really. I can fit in in both worlds. I know all about both worlds. I think I'm better off than most witches and wizards who grew up in all magic homes," Hermione told him logically. George nodded, agreeing with her.

"That's all true. I'm not trying to tell you to be ashamed or anything. I just-, I worry about you," he told her sincerely. Hermione softened at the words.

"I worry about you too. You can be a little hot headed you know?" Hermione told him. George let out a chuckle.

"Like that time in 5th year? When me and Harry pummeled Malfoy?" George said reminiscing. "That was a beautiful moment," he said wiping a fake tear from his eye. Hermione laughed.

"Yeah up until Umbridge banned and you, Harry, and Fred from Quidditch." Hermione reminded him.

"I LOVE SEVERUS SNAPE!" Sirius shouted at the tops of his lungs. Hermione nearly fell off George's lap in surprise, but he caught her. Everyone in the room burst out laughing while Sirius glared at them. Even Dumbledore chuckled a bit.

"Well I am certainly delighted that you and Mr. Snape seem to have mended your ways," Dumbledore told him. "Not on your life," Sirius muttered. "But I am afraid we have gotten off topic again. This seems to be becoming a habit of ours," Dumbledore continued, his eyes twinkling. "I believe we still need to find out who is serious about fighting Voldemort so we may continue. Is there anyone who would like to leave now?" He asked politely. Everyone looked around at each other. They seemed to all have determined expressions on their faces. They wanted to do this. All except Peter. He was looking very concerned.

"Professor," Peter started nervously, "I- I want to take down Voldemort. I just don't know if I can trust myself. I'm afraid I might do what happened last time, and I really don't want that to happen. I don't trust myself to not use this information against someone," Peter said, staring at his shoes. Dumbledore beamed at him.

"Mr. Pettigrew, it is very brave of you to admit that," Peter's head snapped up to stare at the Headmaster. "It seems to me that you are on the right track if you are so unwilling to put your friends in danger. Never the less, if you are uncomfortable and wish to leave none of us will think any less of you," Dumbledore told him, still beaming. Peter hesitantly looked around the room at his friends, most of which were giving him small encouraging smiles. He returned a slight one of his own.

"Alright," he said standing. "I'll see you all after a bit then?" They all nodded back and a chorus of 'Bye Peter's followed him out the door. After the door shut behind Peter it was silent for a few moments in the Room of Requirement. Everyone was staring at George and Hermione. The two exchanged a look and George nodded to Hermione. Hermione nodded and took a deep breath to begin the long story of Harry Potter.

"So after Harry survived the killing curse-," Hermione didn't get very far before Lily interrupted her.

"Wait what? Harry?" Hermione's eyes widened and looked at George who looked amused.

"Didn't we tell you?" George asked, "Harry's your son." The room was dead silent for a few moments and then James let out a loud whoop that startled everyone.

"Awesome! My son killed a basilisk! That is bloody brilliant!" James yelled gleefully. Sirius laughed happily and tossed his pink hair out of his face.

"Your son is almost as cool as me Prongsie!" He exclaimed. Remus rolled his eyes.

"When was the last time you killed a basilisk?" Remus asked Sirius. Sirius glared at his friend. Remus just smirked in return. "That's what I thought. Harry's cooler." George laughed loudly.

"You think that's cool? Just wait until you hear what else Harry's done. That was only his second year." The occupants of the room gaped at him.

"S-second year?" Lily asked looking horrified. George nodded smiling, with Hermione giggling on his lap. James let out a happy laugh.

"My son killed a basilisk when he was only twelve!" He laughed gleefully again and the rest of the room couldn't help but smile.

"Anyway," Hermione continued. "After Harry survived he was sent to live with your sister, Petunia," Hermione told the red haired witch. Lily gasped.

"But why her?" she all but shrieked. "She _hates_ magic!" Hermione smiled apologetically and explained all about Lily's sacrifice and how Harry had to stay with the Dursleys. When she got to how they treated Harry, there were exclamations of outrage, mostly from Lily and James, although Sirius was quite loud as well.

Hermione talked and talked. It was couple hours before she had finally gotten through all seven years and the numerous interruptions from her audience. Her throat was sore and scratchy and her voice almost gone. George had tried to help of course, but he only knew so much, especially about their seventh year. In fact, he was now looking rather grim after hearing about all of Hermione's near death experiences throughout her short life. No wonder she had PTSD. Any sane person would. Now that he'd heard about all of it, it really put his life into perspective. Now, more than ever, he just wanted to wrap her in his arms and keep her safe. Hermione seemed to notice what George was thinking, because she gave him a small smile and squeezed his hand reassuringly. He returned the smile and squeezed back.

"Well," said Dumbledore, standing from his own squashy armchair. "I must be off now. I have duties I have been neglecting and a great deal to think about. Thank you, all of you, for your time. And a special thanks to you Miss Granger and you Mr. Weasley for all of the help you have already given us." Hermione blushed slightly and George simply nodded in return before Dumbledore turned and left the room, leaving them all to their thoughts.

"It was lucky we survived all of that the first time around. It'll be a miracle if we survive a second time," George said looking incredibly depressed for the boy who used to always smile and laugh. Hermione frowned at him.

"Don't think like that George," she rasped out. "We survived the first time by focusing on surviving and protecting our loved ones, and I intend to do the same this time around." Her voice was scratchy and weak, but there was no mistaking the determined glint in her eyes, or the way her shoulders were squared and her head held high. George smiled at her and there was something strange in his expression. Whatever it was it made Hermione's insides go all fuzzy.

"You're right, as usual. Let's get something for your throat shall we? It sounds painful," George told her as he nudged her off his lap. Hermione stood and nodded gratefully. George walked over to a corner of the room to a cabinet that had not been there before and began rummaging around. He returned holding a package of something in one hand and a bottle in the other.

"Here, this potion should help," he told her handing her the bottle. Hermione immediately swigged it down and grimaced at the taste and the burning sensation in her throat. "I don't know what these are," he said holding up the package and scrutinizing it through narrowed eyes, "but they looked muggle so I grabbed them thinking you might like them." He handed her the package of what looked like red, hard candies with 'Cough Drops' stamped across the front of the plastic. Hermione grinned and gave a rusty chuckle.

"They are. Thank you George," she told him sincerely, already sounding better. She stretched up on her tip toes and gave him a peck on the check. The back of George's neck grew warm, but he ignored it.

"Anytime," he told her grinning. They resumed their seat just as Sirius leapt from his.

"Merlin! I think that's the longest I've sat still and been quiet in my entire life!" he exclaimed. James, Nikki, and Remus all rolled their eyes.

"You were hardly sitting still," Nikki informed him. "I could see you squirming around on your chair from all the way over here."

"Yeah," James added, "Not to mention you made twice as many comments and interruptions as the rest of us put together!" Sirius looked offended.

"Well you're the one who dared me to yell you know what every time someone said the Q word! And that story used the Q word a lot!" Sirius told them.

"What Q word? You mean Quidditch?" Remus couldn't help but ask.

"I LOVE SEVERUS SNAPE!" Sirius yelled, shooting a death glare at Remus. Remus laughed hysterically as James pretended to be shocked and clutched his chest.

"Paddy, how could you do this to me? I thought you loved me?" James asked in a small, whiney voice. Sirius threw a pillow at his face.

"Shut it you gits," he told them. James just laughed and grabbed the pillow and chucked it back at his friend. Of course it missed and smacked Nikki in the side of her head. She shrieked in fury.

"POTTER!" she promptly grabbed another pillow and chucked it back at James. The pillow almost hit Lily, but James blocked it by throwing his body dramatically in front of it.

"You dare aim to harm my precious Peanut?" he demanded in a goofy accent. "This means war!" He moved to snatch up another pillow, but before he could even take aim he was bashed in the side of his head by another. He turned a shocked face to his girlfriend who was still armed.

"Peanut? Really?" she asked with one eyebrow raised and a sparkle in her eye.

"I thought it was cute!" James said indignantly, offended that she hadn't liked his choice of pet name. Lily rolled her eyes and shoved her pillow back into his face, knocking him off the couch and to the floor. James laid there shocked for a moment until Sirius yelled,

"I shall avenge you Prongsie!" he scooped up yet another pillow and cocked it back as James scrambled to get off the floor. "Like it that James called you Peanut!" Sirius demanded as he let the pillow fly.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" James yelled. Lily ducked the pillow and it hit Alice. Lily flung her pillow at Sirius who also ducked and it hit Remus.

"PILLOW FIGHT!" Sirius bellowed gleefully. Suddenly the room was full to the bursting with all sorts of different kinds of pillows. Bed pillows, throw pillows, round, square, rectangular, beaded, feather filled, silk, and even a few body pillows. Hermione and George quickly traded glances and then dove out of their chair in unison to arm themselves. Hermione chose a small, but dense square pillow so she could have a solid grip on the corner and the pillow would have a hard impact. George chose a body pillow, thinking he could beat the snot out of people with it and also use it as a shield if need be.

Hermione and George battled back to back, protecting each other from their enemies. Hermione got Sirius in the side of the head, abolishing his hot pink hair do.

"Noooo my HAIR!" he howled as he retreated. Hermione let out a victorious cackle. George laughed with her, one, because he didn't much like Sirius since he kept hitting on Hermione, and two because her laugh was just contagious. George attacked Remus and they were equally matched until Remus tripped backwards and landed on George's beanbag.

"Aha!" George yelled, raising his pillow above his head to strike. Remus rolled out of the way causing George to miss and smoothly picked up George's beanbag and chucked it with all of his might. George only had time to widen his eyes in surprise as, "Oof!" the giant bag slammed into his midsection and knocked him backwards off his feet and right onto Hermione. Hermione let out a small shriek as she was slammed forward by a very heavy object and to the ground. Unfortunately, she lost her grip on her pillow in her surprise and was now unarmed and defenseless. As though they could sense a weakness in the dynamic duo the rest of the teens came smarming to the mass of tangled limbs on the floor that was Hermione and George. They wasted no time in pummeling the pair with their pillows.

Hermione shrieked and tried to shove George off of her so she could shield her head with her arms. George finally rolled off after catching his breath and handed her one end of his body pillow to use as protection as they were being assaulted on all sides. Hermione and George laughed as they cowered together, crouched on the floor from their friends' attack. Hermione suffered a severe blow to the side and was knocked over into George, who lost his balance and they were once again sprawled on the floor. They had no chance to right themselves as their friends continued the unrelenting attack, so they lay side by side on the floor with a body pillow covering their heads.

Hermione turned her head towards George and immediately forgot what she had been about to say as her nose brushed his. She hadn't realized how close they were. She suddenly felt warm all over and seemed to have a handful of pixies trying to escape from her stomach. George had that strange look on his face again, the one that made her feel warm and fuzzy.

It was amazing how easy it was to forget a horde of teenagers slamming pillows into your body when you had the right distraction, George realized. Hermione's face was flushed, her eyes bright, and a ghost of a smile still teasing her lips. She was beautiful. George couldn't believe how blind he'd been before. How could he not have noticed this amazing witch right under his nose for the past seven years?

It took every ounce of self-control he had to not close the last tiny bit of space between their lips and snog her senseless in front of everyone. Instead he reached up and tenderly brushed a lock of hair out of her face and let his fingers linger on her check and trail down to her chin before dropping his hand back to the floor. Hermione closed her eyes and savored the sensation. It was amazing the response her body gave to even his simple touch. She'd never had this reaction to anyone before. It blew her mind that just a stroke on the cheek from George was more pleasurable than any kiss she'd ever had with anyone else. She opened her eyes again to see that the strange look on his face had intensified.

"We should just surrender," George suddenly spoke.

"Wh-what?" Hermione asked, completely confused. George grinned crookedly at her and his deep blue eyes sparkled.

"To the pillow fight," he told her. Hermione blushed. How had she forgotten? She'd thought he meant… Nevermind. George just grinned at her some more before calling out,

"Alright, alright! We give up! You win!" The blows from the pillows immediately stopped and triumphant cheers and yells filled the room. George removed their pillow shield in time to see Nikki and Alice slap high fives, Sirius and James doing a bizarre victory dance, and Lily and Remus laughing at the antics of their crazy friends.

George turned back to Hermione with a happy grin on his face only to see fire blazing in her eyes as she watched the happy group. She sat up and looked at George who was still on his back on the floor.

"We're going to save them George," she told him resolutely. "I won't let Voldemort destroy this. Not again."

**AN: I absolutely love this pillow fight scene and the way I ended this chapter. :) Me? Conceited? No... ;) But anyway, I hope you all loved this as much as me. I originally tried to have dialogue from Hermione telling them about the future (not everything) so that you guys could see some reactions from the Marauders and Co. because I've always enjoyed that kind of thing, but after I got into 10 pages of it I realized I had to cut it. It was just too long winded and a repeat of information you all already know and I knew most of you (me included) would just skim it and it would detract from the rest of my story. Anyways, I babble when I'm tired. Bet you'd never have guessed...**

**In conclusion, I dedicate this chapter to Eli Young Band, because I listened to their amazing song, Even if it Breaks your Heart, over and over and over as I wrote this chapter. I think I'm slightly addicted. Review my darlings!**


	8. Ch 8: The Last Day

**Disclaimer! Harry Potter and all that it encompasses is entirely J.K. Rowling's and I am merely a desperate fan piggy backing off of her success because of my addiction!**

**Previously…**

"_Alright, alright! We give up! You win!" The blows from the pillows immediately stopped and triumphant cheers and yells filled the room. George removed their pillow shield in time to see Nikki and Alice slap high fives, Sirius and James doing a bizarre victory dance, and Lily and Remus laughing at the antics of their crazy friends. _

_ George turned back to Hermione with a happy grin on his face only to see fire blazing in her eyes as she watched the happy group. She sat up and looked at George who was still on his back on the floor._

_ "We're going to save them George," she told him resolutely. "I won't let Voldemort destroy this. Not again."_

**Chapter 8: The Last Day**

The Room of Requirement had out done itself this time. The room had expanded and held a variety of attractions for the students. There were three 8 foot long tables against the far wall, groaning under the amount of food and beverages that the Marauders and George had nicked from both the kitchens and Hogsmead. Off to the right was a sitting area jammed with an assortment of seating options arranged in a haphazard circle. They ranged from large couches to George's favorite purple beanbag. To the left was a game area. There were shelves and shelves of different games to play, muggle and wizard alike. There was the typical Wizard's Chess and Exploding Snap, but also Twister, Uno, and tons more. And in the direct middle of the room was a large dancing area complete with a Wizarding Wireless radio.

The room had been decorated for the quickly developing party. There were bright neon colored streamers and balloons, a random mistletoe, and a large poster that the girls had created while the boys had been off retrieving the food. It was bright and colorful and depicted a moving stick figure with a snake like face getting struck by lightning over and over while a crowd of happy stick figures pointed, laughed, and celebrated. Hermione, for some reason found it hysterical and couldn't help but burst out in giggles every time she looked at it.

Currently, the teenagers were all chatting happily and gulping down as much food and Butterbeer as their stomachs would allow. Before long, Nikki had switched on the Wireless to add some music to the background of their conversation, as most of them had finished eating. George, Sirius, James, and Peter, whom the Marauders had retrieved along with the food, were the exceptions. Sirius scarfed down a last plateful and turned his attention to a brown paper bag that had been hidden under one of the tables. He withdrew a bottle and James and George exclaimed happily at the same time Lily and Hermione made similar noises of protest.

"No!" Lily yelled, immediately putting a halt to her boyfriend's progress towards his best mate. James turned and put on his best puppy dog eyes, complete with a pouty lip.

"But Lily-,"

"No James!" Lily interrupted adamantly. "We are Head Boy and Girl! What kind of example would we be setting for the other students?"

"Well they don't have to know! No one here is going to go spouting off about it, right?" There were a few nods around the room. "And it's not like we're going to get pissed Lily darling. Just a happy little buzz." Lily looked undecided so George, sensing the weakness, swooped in on the other half of the opposition, Hermione.

"That's right," he agreed, "Just a little something to lift our spirits, you know, before we risk our lives to fight and take down ole Moldy Shorts." He turned his pleading eyes to Hermione. "It would make me ever so happy to have this one night to look back on while we're in the midst of war and remember the happy memories." Hermione shot him a fierce glare.

"That was low George Weasley, but fine. It's not like I could stop you anyway. You're 19, and I no longer have the leverage of telling your mother so just do whatever you want." James looked at Lily in anticipation and she gave him a half shrug and a tip of her head as though to say "Go ahead." James and Sirius let out happy yells before excitedly breaking open the firewhisky and pouring it out into glasses for everyone. George strutted up to Hermione with a victorious smirk on his face. Hermione glared coolly in response.

"C'mon Mione. Don't be mad," he cooed at her as he brushed her hair behind her ear. Hermione slapped his hand away.

"I'll be however I want to be," she snapped. George just grinned.

"We're just looking to have a little fun is all. We won't get up to anything crazy," he tried to reassure her. Hermione just looked at him skeptically.

"Did you even hear the words that just came out of your mouth?" she demanded. George put his hand over his heart in a wounded manner.

"Ouch, Mione. Your words, they wound!" Hermione just rolled her eyes and George grinned.

"C'mon, come share a glass with me and then we can dance," George pleaded. Hermione looked torn. She did want to have a good time tonight and dancing with George sounded fun, but she'd never had firewhisky before except to toast Mad-Eye. Although she supposed she had been fine after that glass, so splitting a glass with George should be okay, right? George must have seen the answer form on her face because without receiving an answer he smiled brilliantly, grabbed her by the arm, and dragged her to the table that now housed multiple glasses of alcohol.

"You won't regret this, I swear," he told her. Hermione didn't look entirely convinced, but accepted the glass he offered nonetheless. She glanced around the room to see that everyone had a glass in their hand, even Lily. She tentatively raised the glass to her lips under George's eager observation. Honestly, he was practically bouncing up and down in excitement. Hermione froze and then immediately lowered the glass from her lips.

"What did you do to it?" she demanded of George, scrutinizing his every detail. George's jaw dropped open in shock (real or fake, she couldn't be sure) and stopped bouncing.

"What?!" he yelped. "I would never contaminate your drink!" he said passionately. Hermione continued to stare at him suspiciously. The thing was she had learned long ago to never trust any food or drink George gave her, and an excitable George handing her a drink was highly suspicious.

"Right," she told him and rolled her eyes. "What did you do to it?" she demanded a second time, staring him down. George began to fidget uncomfortably under her scrutiny.

"I- Well it- It's not anything bad," he whispered to her, looking around the room cautiously. "It's just a little Jolly Juice. I just want everyone to have a good time," he looked at her pleadingly. Hermione looked at him warily. She wanted to believe him, she did. It was just past experience was screaming in her ear not to fall for it. She looked around the room once more and noticed everyone did look a lot more cheerful than they had before. Maybe it was safe then…

"Oh alright," she told George. He beamed happily as she took a small sip and winced as the alcohol burned down her throat. She could already feel the effects kicking in as her thoughts grew slightly fuzzy. She handed the glass to George, who took a large gulp and also winced slightly. Hermione looked relieved. He wouldn't have put anything crazy in it if he was drinking it too. George handed her the glass a second time and she took one more, small sip and handed it back. He drained it and turned to the pretty witch beside him.

"Mademoiselle may I 'ave zis dance?" He asked in a ridiculous French accent as he held out his hand and bowed slightly. Hermione was unsuccessful in preventing the giggle that escaped her lips. George grinned.

"It would be my pleasure to dance with a fine gentleman such as yourself," she answered, placing her hand in his.

"Brilliant!" George said in his boisterous voice and promptly whisked her off to the dance floor. No one else was dancing, but George didn't care. The song playing was an old one he recognized with an upbeat tempo and loud, happy lyrics. Just his kind of song. He dropped Hermione's hand and started dancing in front of her. Hermione laughed at his enthusiasm and quickly joined in. George laughed along with her, just because he was happy and she had such a lovely laugh. He grabbed her hand and spun her around. She giggled happily and George beamed with satisfaction.

In no time, all of the party goers had joined them on the dance floor, whether dancing solo or with a partner, it made no difference. The music was blaring, laughter rent the air, and the happiness was nearly tangible. Hermione danced with George for a song or two before being taken away by Remus. George looked slightly disappointed for a moment, but quickly reminded himself that tonight was about having fun. And besides, it was him, George that she had snogged in front of everyone earlier, not Remus.

George danced himself happily over to Alice, who had also been dancing alone. He twirled her and grinned as she laughed with pleasure.

"Gosh this is so much fun!" she said happily over the music. "I just wish Frank were here," she said a bit sadly. George nudged her shoulder as they both continued dancing.

"Cheer up, buttercup! We'll just have to throw another party so he can come too," he told her with a wink. Alice laughed happily and the song changed to a slow romantic one.

"Ah, I must be off kind Lady. I have a fair maiden to woo," George said as he gave her a wink and a chaste kiss on her hand. Alice giggled.

"Oh but of course! Do bid Hermione my good luck, having to deal with a rascal like you!" Alice joked with him. George grinned.

"I shall!" With that he turned and made his way across the floor to where Hermione was chatting with Remus as they slowly revolved on the spot. George felt slightly relieved to see Remus's hands properly on her waist and Hermione's resting gently resting upon his shoulders. The last thing George needed was competition with a bookworm.

"May I cut in?" George asked, extending his hand and bowing slightly while still looking Hermione in the eyes. Hermione rolled her eyes at him and turned to look at Remus, but he was already stepping back smiling.

"She's all yours," he told George. George grinned happily.

"Brilliant. You can go keep Alice company if you'd like. I kind of abandoned her," George told the other boy, smiling ruefully. Remus laughed.

"Maybe I'll do that," and he left the couple on their own. George turned back to Hermione who was smiling shyly.

"Hullo again," George said to her with a crooked grin.

"Hullo," was all Hermione replied, still looking a bit shy. George grabbed her hands and placed one on his shoulder and continued to hold the other at shoulder height. Then he began gliding her around the room in time to the music. A twirl here and a dip there and all her shyness was forgotten. Hermione relaxed and let George lead. Hermione smiled happily, George was a surprisingly good dancer.

"I never knew you know how to dance," Hermione told him. George let out a short laugh.

"I had Bill teach me in my fourth year. At the time it seemed like it might come in useful someday, you know, for getting birds," he shot her a wink and leaned her back in a dip. "As it turns out I was partially right. It came in useful at the Yule Ball and at Bill's wedding, but I haven't scored a girl yet," he lamented, shaking his head sadly, but with a smile tugging the corners of his lips. Hermione giggled and went into a spin.

"Well maybe someday it'll turn something up for you," Hermione said with an amused smile. George sent her a pointed look.

"I'm counting on it," he told her. Hermione blushed and the song ended. A new, fast song came on and Hermione attempted to break away from George, but he held fast and began a new type of dance that seemed to be of George's own invention. It was like a mixture of swing, foxtrot, and ballroom, an odd combination, but he somehow made in work.

Hermione shrieked as he slung her up over his shoulder, around, and back down the other side where she somehow landed on her feet and went right back into the dance. They both laughed and happiness seemed to radiate off of them. George spun her in a half turn so they were still each holding one hand and facing the same direction. He began tapping his feet and moving his legs in some complicated footwork that Hermione tried to mimic and failed miserably. All the same, she laughed and enjoyed herself, not caring that she more than likely looked ridiculous.

George spun her back, reclaimed her other hand, and began spinning and flinging her around the room. Hermione laughed happily and only tripped over her feet a few times, but George never let her fall. George's eyes sparkled with a delight and happiness that did not fade with the song. The song ended and the pair stood for a moment gasping for breath. Hermione's cheeks were flushed and her hair was windswept, but her eyes were bright and her smile never faltered. George looked much the same with his cheek splitting smile.

"Shall we take a break?" George asked. "You want a drink?" Hermione nodded thankfully.

"Please," was all she said as she turned toward the food tables. George turned to follow her, and both froze in their tracks. They had been so happily wrapped up in their own little world they hadn't paid any attention at all to what the others had been doing. Lily and James looked to be in about the same state that they were in. They looked flushed and happy and were looking at the group standing by the food table.

"Well thanks for making us look like total shmucks!' Sirius complained with his arms crossed. He, Remus, and Peter all stood crossed armed and frowning at them, although Remus couldn't quite hid his amusement at the situation. Alice and Nikki on the other hand were both grinning and Alice at least was looking wistfully at the dance floor.

"Well gee Paddy," James told him as he led Lily by the hand to the drinks, "Maybe you should have paid attention in those dance lessons your mother tried to give you and you could be sweeping ladies off their feet too."

Sirius just scowled. "It was a rebellion! If I looked like a fool at all of the Pureblood parties she made me go to, then maybe I wouldn't be forced to go."

James shrugged. "Well that's your prerogative then mate," he told him carelessly as he handed Lily a pumpkin juice. As they were talking George and Hermione walked up behind Lily and James to get drinks as well. Hermione looked up at George to ask what he wanted, but was sidetracked by the mischievous grin on his face as he watched Lily drink her juice. Hermione glared up at him and elbowed him in the ribs.

"George Weasley, what did you do?" Hermione demanded, causing everyone to look at him. George immediately tried to school his expression into one of innocence. He let out a fake gasp.

"Mione! I haven't the foggiest of what you mea-,"

"Oh save it for someone who hasn't heard it before! What did you put in Lily's drink?" Lily heard this and then promptly spat the juice she had been about to drink out of her mouth and all over Nikki. Nikki looked absolutely disgusted and Sirius came to her rescue and vanished the juice spray. Meanwhile, Lily was looking in horror between her juice glass and George and George was back to grinning mischievously.

"I guess you'll just have to wait and see what happens," he said mysteriously. James looked torn between whether he should feel angry or amused, but it was only for a second, because soon after Lily opened her mouth to yell at George he firmly decided on being amused.

"Weasley, this is funny!" she shrieked and then looked immediately confused. Her friends all had to stifle their giggles and George's grin widened.

"I didn't mean this is _not_ funny. Yes, this is funny. Ugh! You're an amazing person Weasley! I love pranks!" Lily seethed. At this point everyone in the room was laughing heartily. Even Hermione was having trouble suppressing her smile.

"Wh-What did you give her?" Peter managed to choke out through his laughter.

"C-Contradictory Capsule. Makes everything you say opposite of what you mean. Perfect for pranking authority figures," George replied winking at Lily. The laughter intensified and Lily scowled, but the corners of her mouth twitched. It was rather impressive magic.

"Well if that's not the case then I think you're an ugly git who needs to go jump in the lake," Lily told him. George just laughed.

"Aww Lils I had no idea you felt that way!" George told her. "Just don't tell James, he might get jealous!" George stage whispered. The teens all laughed for a few more minutes until the Contradictory Capsule wore off and Lily was back to normal.

"Let's go play some games, shall we?" Alice suggested. "There were some interesting looking ones over there." The others all nodded in agreement and headed over to the game area. Hermione frowned in disappointment. She never did get her drink and she was thirsty, but she no longer could trust anything on the table.

"I need a hip flask," she muttered to herself. George having heard her turned and smirked at her before joining the others. Hermione sighed in defeat and followed the others to the games. She picked a seat on the couch in between Nikki and Remus and waited as George, Peter, and Sirius argued over which game to play.

"Peter only so many people can play Gobstones at once. We've got nine people. We could play tournament style I suppose, but what will everyone waiting do?" Sirius rationalized. Peter looked disappointed. He always won at Gobstones.

"How about this one?" George asked holding up a large white cardboard box with red, blue, green, and yellow circles on it. Hermione smirked, knowing immediately what it was. The Pureblood wizards gathered around the box.

"What is it?" Sirius asked skeptically eyeing the unmoving people on the box on their hands and feet.

"'Twister. The game that ties you up in knots'?" Peter questioned looking wary.

"Well I don't really know what it is…" George said, "But it looks like they're all having loads of fun," he pointed at the people on the box with their faces in frozen laughter.

"Well then how do we know how to play?" Sirius asked. Hermione couldn't take it anymore and giggled causing the three boys to turn and stare at her.

"It comes with instructions," she informed them, "But I could just tell you how to play if you'd like." George grinned at her.

"You know this game?" he asked excitedly. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Of course I do. It's a very popular game in the muggle world," she informed them and sent a sidelong look to Lily, who was looking greatly amused.

"Let's play!" Sirius said eagerly, excited now that someone had declared whether or not it was worthwhile.

"Yeah!" George agreed. "How do we play Mione?" Hermione rose from her seat took the box from George. She opened it and removed the mat and the spinner.

"We're going to need someone to be the spinner. Their job will be to spin this arrow here and call out whatever it lands on. For instance, if it lands on right hand and a blue circle they'll call out right hand blue. Then the people on the mat will put their right hand on a blue circle. Understand?" Everyone nodded. "Good. Now the rules. If you fall or your knee or elbow touches the mat then you're out. Last one standing wins. No sabotaging other players. This includes, but is not limited to pushing, tripping, tickling, and etcetera. Now, who wants to be spinner?" Hermione asked. Remus's hand immediately shot into the air. Hermione grinned.

"Alright, Remus you get the fun job of getting to sit back and watch everyone else look ridiculous," she said with a smile. Remus laughed.

"So no different than what I do every day," he replied with a smirk at his friends who all simultaneously stuck their tongues out at him. Hermione giggled.

"Right."

"But wait," Lily jumped in, "There won't enough room for everyone on that mat." Hermione nodded.

"I already thought about that. I was thinking I'd just conjure three more and we could make a large square with them," Hermione told her. Lily nodded thoughtfully.

"Okay that should be enough." Lily agreed. "We should play over on the dance floor so we have enough room." Everyone nodded and murmured their agreement and began to head over to the center of the room. Remus dragged a chair with him. Hermione pulled out her wand, gave it a slight flick, and three more mats appeared that George and Peter quickly grabbed and laid out in the floor.

"Alright everyone, pick a place on the edge of a mat where you can access all of the colors," Lily instructed. The teens complied. "Whenever you're ready Remus."

Remus grinned. He was going to enjoy this. He flicked the spinner.

"Left foot red." Everyone stepped onto the mat. It started out easily enough, but after not too long they had become a tangled mess. Sirius was awkwardly underneath George, Alice and Peter's faces were extremely close, Hermione was in a sort of crab walking position while James was blushing furiously with his left hand on a circle between her legs. Lily had a leg hooked around Nikki's and her hand dangerously close to Sirius's butt while Nikki had her legs crossed and her butt in the air in Hermione's face. Several times someone had come very close to losing and collapsing in a heap of giggles, but the group was determined and managed to pull it together every time.

"Enjoying yourself there Paddy?" Remus asked looking like he was having the time of his life.

"Shut it Moony and just tell us the next move," Sirius growled. Remus just chuckled and spun the spinner. It landed on right hand yellow.

"Left hand green," Remus called out, trying to contain his mischievous smile. He was a Marauder after all, and Hermione never said anything about the spinner not lying.

"WHAT?!" Sirius exclaimed. "That's not possible! Bodies don't bend like that!" Everyone giggled and then quickly stopped before it led to their defeat.

"I'm just following orders here Padfoot," Remus told him. "You can always give up you know."

"NEVER!" Sirius exclaimed, and then tried to twist his body over without moving his feet to reach a spot behind him. Unfortunately George was still over him, and their new proximity to each other made it rather awkward, not to mention painful for Sirius as he tried to hold up all of his body weight with one arm and not slip off of any colors. His arm began to shake.

"Remus!" he hissed, hoping Remus would take the hint and hurry up.

"Right foot-," was all Remus was able to get out before Sirius collapsed in a heap. There were cheers from the other players. One down, seven to go they all seemed to think. Sirius just scowled and army crawled his way out from under George.

"Never again," he muttered to himself. Next to go down was Alice, taking Peter with her. Nikki wobbled dangerously at one point, but quickly steadied herself and managed to stay upright. The people who were out contented themselves with the loss by eating and drinking and laughing at the awkward positions of their friends. A few minutes later, George went out in a fit of hysterical laughter when Alice randomly turned into a canary. He seemed to find this extra funny, seeing as the first time they'd pranked someone in their own time with Canary Crèmes it had been her son who was the victim.

It was a very close thing for James as he craned his head to get a good look at Alice and burst out laughing. He barely managed to stay up, but luckily he was in a rather easy to maintain position. Hermione, Lily, and Nikki were having some trouble, seeing as all of them were somehow in the same area fighting over circles as soon as they were called. Finally, Nikki and Lily's feet collided as they fought for a circle and they toppled.

"Yes!" James yelled out triumphantly. "I am so gonna win this!"

"Ha!" Hermione laughed. "That's what you think Potter. What you don't know is that back in my neighborhood the kids refuse to play against me anymore, because I never lose!" James looked a little less confident at this, but was determined to give it his all regardless. Hermione, on the other hand, knew she wasn't being entirely truthful. It was true that the kids there wouldn't play against her anymore. It was also true that she had never lost, but the reason they wouldn't play against her anymore probably had more to do with the incident when she had accidentally used magic to switch which colors were where on the mat so she could reach the right one. They seemed to think that was creepy for some reason.

Hermione and James spent the next 15 minutes in a tight match until the losers got bored and began interfering. It was more than just heckling and cat calls. James at one point got hit with a jelly legs jinx and somehow managed to stay up until Lily performed the counter curse. Hermione was hit with a confundus charm and forgot why she was in the strange position that she was. She was just about to stand up when George removed it. The magic certainly added an entirely new aspect to the game.

In the end, Hermione was struggling against a hair growth charm that was quickly making her hair cover the entire mat and James was fighting a strange jinx that made him grow donkey ears and Hee Haw uncontrollably.

"Left foot blue," Remus called out. James easily moved his foot to a nearby blue circle. Hermione tried, but she couldn't see exactly what she was doing and ended up slipping on her own hair and losing. The room exploded with excited cheering and applause. James wasted no time hopping to his feet and bowing and blowing kisses. Sirius removed the donkey curse for his friend. Hermione chuckled and tried to untangle herself from her hair. It had to be 10 feet long at this point.

George laughed and helped Hermione to her feet, brushing her hair back from her face so she could see his happy face.

"Don't look at me George, I'm 'ideous," Hermione said in a French accent as she pulled her hair over her face. George looked surprised for a half a second and then laughed loud and hard, causing tears to stream down his face and Hermione to laugh along with him.

"I think we're missing out on an inside joke," Remus said, smiling at the pair. Alice sighed.

"They're so sweet together, don't you think Nikki?" Alice said wistfully. Nikki rolled her eyes.

"If you say so Alice." Alice frowned at her.

"You're no fun." Nikki just smirked at her.

"My definition of fun just isn't speculating on other people's lives." Nikki corrected her friend. Alice rolled her eyes.

"Details, details," she said waving her hand dismissively. Meanwhile, George and Hermione were trying to control themselves.

"M-M-Merlin Mi-Mione! Y-You sounded j-just like her!" George managed to choke out through his laughter. Hermione was taking deep breaths trying to calm herself.

"Yes well I've had lots of practice making fun of her with Ginny. Remember when Ginny would always call her Phlegm," Hermione giggled and George smiled in reminiscence. "You're lucky you got to live above the shop! I was just visiting that summer and she was driving me batty. I can't imagine how it was for Ginny…" George laughed aloud thinking about his little sister.

"Oh that would have been amazing! Ginny isn't exactly known for being quiet and good natured is she?" Hermione laughed with him.

"Not in the slightest. I think that was the summer Harry finally started falling for her," Hermione said and then got a faraway slightly sad expression on her face.

"Aww c'mon Mione," George nudged her shoulder. "I miss them too," he said and pulled her into a hug. "We just have to remember that we're doing this for them," he reassured her over her still extremely hairy head. Hermione sighed and leaned into his hug before pulling back.

"You're right. This isn't the time for a pity party. We have something to celebrate I believe," Hermione said, giving him a smile, but George could still see the sadness that she was trying hide in her eyes and decided that he was going to spend the rest of the night chasing it away.

"Let's get on with it then!" he said smiling. "First things first we need to do something about all of this hair…" Hermione grinned sheepishly.

"What you don't like it?" She asked as she attempted to twirl, but got stuck and tripped. George caught her before she could fall and laughed.

"Hermione, you could dress up in Hagrid's hairy brown suit and grow a unibrow and I'd still think that you're beautiful," he told her smiling, but completely serious. Hermione blushed and looked at her toes, or tried anyway.

"Oh," she said faintly. George grinned more broadly and pulled out his wand. "Now shall I cut it?" Hermione's head snapped up and she swiped her hair from her face, her eyes wide. She glanced at his eager face and then looked pleadingly over his shoulder at the girls.

"Erm…" Hermione searched for words.

"I can do it!" Alice volunteered, stepping forward. Hermione sent her a relieved glance. George saw the glanced and his jaw dropped, offended.

"What? You don't think I could do it?" he demanded. Hermione looked slightly sheepish.

"Well no… I'm sure you would do a fine job hacking off the excess hair. It's just that I'm also positive that you don't know a thing about girls' hair styles," Hermione told him. George opened his mouth to respond, but stopped and thought about it.

"Well alright I suppose… But really how much more is there to it besides the length?" he asked. The girls in the room all laughed, whereas the males all looked confused.

"Thank you so much for not letting him cut my hair," Hermione told the other girl gratefully. Alice laughed.

"Anytime. Now what do you want me to do? Short, medium, long, layers, fringe? What am I doing here?"

"Erm," Hermione wasn't quite sure what she wanted. "Just the same as it was before I think," she told her. Alice didn't look convinced.

"Are you sure? You don't want to do something different? Maybe we could do a short-," Alice was interrupted.

"No!" George exclaimed. The girls turned to look at him in surprise. "I er, It's just I like it long… It looks nice," George told them, looking a bit embarrassed from his outburst. Alice smirked knowingly while Hermione blushed.

"Of course. Alright long it is. We could have it be slightly shorter around your face and get longer as it goes to the back with small layers on the ends," Alice suggested. Hermione nodded.

"That sounds nice," she agreed. Alice smiled and immediately began waving her wand. The majority of her hair detached from her head and Hermione let out a grateful exhale as the weight was taken off of her. Alice vanished the pile of hair and set to work styling Hermione's hair. What would have taken hours in a muggle salon was finished in a few minutes with magic.

"There," Alice said as she finished. George was looking at her beaming and Lily, Nikki, Remus, James, and Peter were all smiling and Sirius had his eyebrows raised in appreciation. No sooner did Hermione wish she had a mirror than one appeared on the wall in the game area. She strode over to it and examined her reflection. She grinned broadly and turned to Alice.

"It looks wonderful Alice. Thanks so much! You're really good at this. I bet you could make a career out of it," Hermione told her earnestly. Alice smiled and blushed slightly.

"Thanks, maybe when the war is over I'll consider it," she responded. Hermione's smile faltered slightly at the mention of the war, but she immediately hitched it back into place. George was sure he was the only one who noticed.

"So what are we doing next?" she asked the room.

It was several hours later that found the group of friends sprawled out in the sitting area, exhausted. They had danced, played games, talked, joked and pranked, and just all over had a great time together. Now the group was sitting and talking and storytelling; some sad stories, and some funny ones. James and Lily sat cuddled together on a couch with Sirius at the other end next to their feet. Remus sat in a cushiony arm chair, Peter was relaxing in a recliner, and Nikki and Alice shared a loveseat. Hermione and George occupied another loveseat. George had his feet up as he sat sideways and Hermione sat in front of him with her feet also up and the side of her face resting against his chest.

It had been a wonderful day. Hermione couldn't remember the last time she had just relaxed and enjoyed the company of a group of friends like this. It made her feel wanted. She sighed happily. She had a great day, but now she was just unbelievably exhausted. She knew she should head back to her dorm and get some sleep, but she couldn't bring herself to leave the comfort of being held by George. She let her eyes shut. She would just rest here a little longer before heading off to bed.

George had gone out of his way to make sure that Hermione had completely enjoyed herself today. He wanted her to get in just one more day of happiness before they were thrown back into war. He frowned, thinking about it. He wasn't happy that she'd be out there risking her life, because he knew that she would give her life in an instant to save someone, anyone. He knew just how reckless she, Harry, and Ron were. They would charge into battle without a thought about their own safety and that knowledge had never terrified him more. He tightened his arms around Hermione and felt, more than heard, her sigh softly.

He leaned his head back on the back of the sofa and closed his eyes. He was finally getting his life back on track. He had something to look forward to everyday now. He had something worth the effort to put Fred in the past. As much as he loved his brother he knew it wasn't good for him to continue grieving the way he had been any longer. He would always love and miss his twin, but it was time to move on. Hermione needed him, whether she knew it or not. He lifted his head and looked down at the witch in his arms and noticed that she was sound asleep. He smiled down at her tenderly.

Someone coughed slightly and for the first time he noticed the room was completely silent. He snapped his eyes up and noticed everyone who was still conscious in the room was staring at him. The back of George's neck flushed slightly when he realized he had completely tuned out their conversation in preference of his own thoughts.

"So, now that the girls are asleep, what's the game plan?" James asked him looking uncharacteristically serious. George looked around in surprise and noticed that the girls had indeed all fallen asleep.

"What do you mean?" George asked. Remus rolled his eyes.

"Don't insult us. We know what today was really all about. It was rather obvious, the way you were acting with Hermione. This was the last carefree day wasn't it?" Remus asked "This was the last day before we are actively involved in the war." George looked surprised at their intuition and observational skills.

"Oh well yeah. It was," he answered.

"So after tonight what's the game plan," Sirius repeated James's question. George stopped and thought a moment.

"Well I suppose the first order of business is to get you all trained up and shake the rust off of Hermione and me. We can't go to battle with Death Eater's without being totally prepared first." Sirius looked slightly offended.

"We are capable of fighting Death Eaters! We're 7th years. You guys did all sorts of fighting with way less magical training than what we have," Sirius said indignantly.

"Sirius, I don't think that's what-," George held up his hand to stop Remus's defense of George's words.

"That was different. No, let me finish," George said when he saw Sirius open his mouth angrily. "For one thing, we got lucky a lot because Voldemort wanted Harry alive. So they usually weren't aiming to kill. Second, we didn't usually have time to prepare; most of the time we didn't get any heads up that we were going into battle. Had we had the choice we would have much rather had some training with someone who really knew what they were doing," George smiled a bit. "Well we kinda did. Harry trained us the best he could. But when you go into battle it's not like you have all seven years of spells that you've learned floating around in your head. Half the time you're panicking, running around trying to figure out if your loved ones are still alive or need your help." George couldn't repress the shudder that racked his body as he remembered…

"And the other half of the time you're just doing whatever pops into your head and reacting on instinct. There's no time to think. Harry told us that once. I didn't really believe him at the time, but now I know exactly why he'd always get so frustrated when we'd praise his success. It doesn't feel like you won when your friends and family still died. There is no glory in war," George finished somberly and was silent, letting that information sink in, and lost in his own thoughts.

"That's what we'll be teaching you," he continued after a moment. "Anything that might come in useful, Patronuses for sure. Then we're going to practice dueling constantly. I don't want anyone's first instinct when you see evil scum hiding behind a mask to be to freeze. That's how you die," George told them looking entirely serious. "We didn't come here for more people to get killed, so we're not going to rush into anything." The other boys nodded looking thoughtful and subdued.

"So then when do we start planning?" Peter asked.

"As soon as possible. Probably tomorrow. The longer we have to plan the more time we have to close loopholes and spot errors or miscalculations. We'll definitely need Hermione, not only because she was actually on the hunt last time, but also because she's a brilliant logical thinker and planner," George told them. Remus smiled slightly at the look on George's face when he talked about Hermione. He was smitten, that was for sure.

"What about the girls?" James asked quietly. George sent him a confused look.

"What about them?" he asked. James looked slightly uncomfortable and glanced down at Lily as though to make sure she was still asleep.

"Well, I really don't think they should…" James let his sentence die away when he saw the look on George's face.

"The girls have just as much a right to fight for their future as we do," George told him fiercely holding his gaze. "Honestly, do you think Lily is going to be content to sit here at Hogwarts or at home not knowing what is happening to you and everyone else that she loves? Hell no! That just means that she is going to sneak behind your back and do it all anyway. Then you won't know when she's safe or when she's in danger. You don't know when she could need you, and the last thing she is going to do is ask for your help, because the last thing she'll want is to be reprimanded and treated like a misbehaving child. Trust me. My parents made the same mistake with my sister, Ginny. She's every bit the fiery red head that Lily is. When I think about all the times she could have been killed because she snuck into battle," George shuddered. "Trust me when I tell you that's not what you want."

James looked slightly abashed and fearful at the same time. "So you're not going to try and stop Hermione then?" he asked. George chuckled quietly, trying not to wake the sleeping witch on his chest.

"No I don't have a death wish if that's what you're asking. Just because Hermione's a girl doesn't make her unable to best me in a duel, or make her any more likely to be killed. Yeah the thought of her fighting scares the bollocks off of me, but if I'm honest with myself I know nothing I can do will stop her and if I even try she'll never forgive me for it. She has just as much at stake in this war as I do. It would be insulting to her if I tried to take away her ability to fight based on nothing more than my own selfish need to keep her safe.

"Merlin knows Harry tried to stop her and Ron from fighting with him and he never succeeded. What makes me think I can? She modified her parents' memories and sent them away to Australia for crying out loud. And after the war she never was able to find them. She doesn't even know if they survived the war. She knew what she was getting into the first time around and she knows even better this time. I'm not going to be the idiot to stand in her way. I'll let the Death Eaters have that role and I'll fight by her side instead. The best we can do for the girls is to fight by their sides and make sure they are never alone. We need to be their shoulder to cry on when things get overwhelming, their steady rock to fall back on every time they get knocked down, and their happy distraction whenever it's practical. It's not our place to fight for them, but to fight beside them."

James looked ashamed of his earlier question. Sirius and Peter looked impressed and inspired as did Remus. The latter also looked surprised. The man talking to them from his own experiences was only two years their senior, but it seemed like so much more. Remus wasn't sure he was ready for himself and all of his friends to engage in the war that had caused this seemingly happy go lucky man to become so serious under his cover.

The boys all sunk quietly into their own thoughts. Thoughts of war, and battle, and fighting for their future and the futures of those they love floating around in their minds. One by one they drifted off. To an outsider it would have looked like an endearing scene. Friends together and so comfortable in each other's presence that they could sleep how they were. George and Hermione were cuddling on the love seat, her head still resting on his chest and his lolling back on the backrest with small snores erupting at steady intervals. Alice and Nikki were slumped on each other on their sofa, each holding the other in place. James and Lily were in much the same position as Hermione and George, the only difference was Sirius slumped on their legs sleeping peacefully. Peter was sprawled out in his recliner snoring slightly and Remus was curled up in the seat of his arm chair that seemed to have expanded to fit him.

It was a quiet, peaceful scene. Until the screaming started.

**AN: I hope you enjoyed. Review!**


	9. Ch 9: Mirrors and Surprises

**AN: A HUGE shout out to ****FinlanderGirl**** (Guest) for an amazing review! I can't bring myself to delete the notification from my email inbox because I love it so much. :-D Oh and to everyone else who has reviewed, favorited, and/or followed I like you too and blah blah blah… Ha just kidding. You should know I love you.**

**WARNING!**** From this chapter on out there will be a slight increase in cursing. Nothing too bad though. You will soon see why… :]**

**Disclaimer: It's not really mine. **

**Previously…**

_ George and Hermione were cuddling on the love seat, her head still resting on his chest and his lolling back on the backrest with small snores erupting at steady intervals. Alice and Nikki were slumped on each other on their sofa, each holding the other in place. James and Lily were in much the same position as Hermione and George, the only difference was Sirius slumped on their legs sleeping peacefully. Peter was sprawled out in his recliner snoring slightly and Remus was curled up in the seat of his arm chair that seemed to have expanded to fit him. _

_It was a quiet, peaceful scene. Until the screaming started._

**Chapter 9: The Mirror of Erised and Some Other Stuff**

The blood curdling scream startled awake everyone in the room. George sat up so fast he almost threw Hermione to the floor as he desperately began clawing for his wand in his pocket. Sirius almost fell off the couch. Nikki and Alice did fall off. Lily shot up so fast she hit her head on James's chin, who had also tried to sit up. Peter rolled off the side of his chair and Remus tried to jump from his chair and to his feet, but got tangled in his robes and went crashing to the floor. George's sleep muddled mind finally caught up to him as he realized who was screaming and he was pretty sure he knew why.

"Hermione," he gasped out. "Hermione love, wake up." Hermione continued to scream and thrash against him, so he did the only thing he could think of. He wrapped one arm around her waist, pinning her arms to her sides and used the other hand to stroke her hair as he murmured in her ear.

"Mione everything's ok. It's all over. They aren't hurting you anymore. You're having a flashback, Mione. Please wake up. Please wake up. Please wake up." George didn't know what else to do. He was starting to panic. She was still screaming and thrashing against him and he didn't know how else to wake her.

"Hermione love, please wake up. No one's hurting you. You're here safe with me, George. It's all over, you're safe Mione. Please wake up," George said desperately. He kissed her forehead and continued to stroke her hair, but nothing helped. If anything she was fighting harder.

"Hermione wake up. I've got you, you're safe. You're at Hogwarts safe. Please just wake up, you're scaring me. Hermione, Hermione, Hermione!" George yelled out frantically. Hermione's eyes snapped open and she sucked in a huge breath. Her face was still stricken with complete terror. Then her eyes met George's and the tears came.

"Oh George!" she cried out as she threw herself onto his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck and sobbed. George held her tightly.

"They had me in the manor George!" George could hardly understand her through her tears and wracking sobs. It was heart wrenching. "B-Bellatrix she tortured me and tortured me. I thought I was going to lose it. Then the knife…" Hermione shuddered and George did too. He hated to think that this wasn't just a nightmare. He couldn't just tell her that it was just a bad dream and that she should go back to sleep. No, this was something she had been forced to live through. There was nothing he could do to make it better except hold her as she cried in terror on his shoulder.

"It's over Mione. Everything's going to be okay. You made it out. You escaped. She can't hurt you here. You survived," George tried to sooth her as her stroked the back of her head. Hermione was still sobbing uncontrollably.

"That's just it George. I was prepared to die there. I never thought I'd see another sunrise or pet C-Crookshanks. Worse than that, I _wanted_ to die. Anything, anything to make the pain stop," Hermione bawled. George's heart broke right then and there. He could no longer restrain the tears that pricked the backs of his eyes. They flowed freely.

"Hermione love, that's nothing to be ashamed of. You stood up to her. You won. You lied to her face as she tortured you. She was killed and you survived and you're going to do it again, love. I know you are." George told her through the tightening of his throat. He clutched her to him tightly and fisted his hand in her hair. Hermione's sobs eased.

"This is so hard," she whispered. George eased her back and kissed her forehead.

"I know love. But we will beat this. I know we can," he told her with a small smile. Hermione looked up at his face and gave a dry chuckle.

"Look at us blubbering fools," she said with a slight shake of her head. George smiled faintly.

"Love, has Dumbledore taught you nothing?" he asked as he used the pads of his thumbs to wipe the tears from her cheeks. "It's us _lovin'_ fools who are going to win this thing. Love will _always_ triumph over hate. Whether it's tomorrow or years from now, we will win. I know we will. We have so much more on the line, there's no way we can lose. Trust me Mione. Trust in yourself. Together we can do this. I can feel it in my gut. We can." George kissed her forehead again and squeezed her tightly. Hermione gave him a slight smile.

"You're absolutely amazing George Weasley. I don't know where you get all of your optimism," she commented.

"It's not optimism, love. These are facts that I've been telling you." Hermione shook her head slightly with that small smile on her lips and laid her head back on his chest.

"Eww. It's all wet down here." George chuckled and Hermione reveled in the feel of it vibrating through his chest.

"Can't imagine how that could've happened," he said sarcastically. Hermione just smiled into his shirt and closed her eyes. George pulled her tight against him and succumbed to the dark thoughts that he had been holding at bay. He was going to kill Bellatrix Lestrange. That much was obvious to him. Evil scum like her couldn't be permitted to walk the earth and ruin and end lives wherever they pleased. She had survived far too long the first time around. He wouldn't allow that to happen this time. Black thoughts ran rampant through his head. He didn't notice the slightly frightened looks on the faces of the others around the room.

George had furious expression on his face and it made him look quite terrifying. The others all traded glances, but none wanted to go make sure he was okay. After all, they knew exactly what must have been on his mind. Bellatrix. They were all shocked by Hermione's nightmare. They hadn't quite realized how bad things had been for her. She hadn't had a problem telling them about it earlier so they had dismissed it as something in her past that she had moved on from. Obviously, that was not the case. It was a good thing she had George. He had gotten her to calm down and relax in about 10 minutes. She had even smiled and told a joke.

Hermione stirred in George's arms and lifted her head. She saw the expression on his face and frowned.

"Hey." She whispered as she put a hand to his cheek. His gaze dropped down to hers and his expression immediately softened. "I think you're right," she whispered softly.

"About which bit?" he asked quietly, leaning his face into her soft hand.

"All of it," she answered looking directly into his deep blue eyes. "We're going to win. You're right. We have so much more to fight for than they do, there's no way we can lose. I can't lose you," she finished in a whisper. Surprise briefly flitted across his face. "So please, _please_, next time you come across Bellatrix Lestrange don't do anything stupid." A robust anger flashed across his face at the mention of the evil witch who had done this to Hermione.

"Hermione-,"

"No George. I know how you're feeling, trust me I do. But I can't lose you. You're all I have left. So just please, next time you see Bellatrix, whether she's in a group of Death Eaters or walking down the street alone, if you don't have any reliable back up right there with you, leave. Please leave. For me, just leave," Hermione pleaded desperately, tears beginning to build up in her eyes again. George's angry expression melted at the sight of her renewed tears.

"Of course Mione. Of course I'll leave. Anything for you," George reassured her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her back to his chest. Hermione sighed.

"You'd better stick to that George Weasley. I don't want to have to drag you back from the afterlife just so I can kill you again myself," she warned him. George chuckled again and kissed the top of her head.

"I'd hate that too, love," George told her before resting his chin on the top of her head and smiling into her hair.

Nikki sighed wistfully on the other side of the room. "They're so lucky," she said quietly. Alice raised her eyebrows questioningly. "To find a love as strong as theirs so early in life," she clarified.

George lifted his head slightly and looked over at Nikki with a surprised expression. Obviously he had heard her comment. He just looked at her for a moment, seemingly thinking about something, and then a slow smile spread across his face. He winked at Nikki and went back to cuddling the amazing girl in his arms.

* * *

Hermione was exhausted. She hadn't slept all that well the previous night. She heaped some eggs on her plate and began compiling a mental list of everything she had to do that day. _Train the others, write list of all Horcruxes and their locations, jinx list so only I can read it, go to the library and find healing books before library closes, make list of-_ Her thoughts were interrupted by a hand over her eyes. Hermione let out a loud overdramatic sigh.

"Guess who?" a sing song voice called from behind her.

"What George?" she asked testily. The hand removed itself from her vision.

"Well you're no fun," George complained as he plopped on the bench next to her and began shoveling food onto his plate. Hermione just rolled her eyes.

"Honestly. Who else would it be?" she asked. George pretended to think for a moment.

"Yeah you're right, but you could at least be nice about it. Or maybe sound happy to see me," he told her. Hermione sighed again.

"Oh George, there you are! It is ever such a pleasure to see you again!" Hermione gushed at him, batting her lashes and resting her hand on his arm. George grinned.

"That's the ticket! See now that wasn't so hard. We'll have you fit for public interaction in no time at this rate!" George declared obnoxiously. Hermione scowled at him.

"Go away," she said as she turned back to her plate. George shook his head at her and frowned.

"And there goes our progress," he lamented. Hermione just continued to scowl and tried to ignore him.

"So how do you think the others will do later?" he asked conversationally.

"Fine," Hermione replied vaguely, already back at adding to the list in her head.

"You know, if I didn't know any better I'd think you didn't want me around," George commented as he began shoveling down his food.

"Hmmm," was all Hermione said.

"Oh so you're ignoring me now. Well that can be fixed easily enough," George told her as he wiped his face. "Just wait for it… 3… 2… 1."

"ARRRRGGGGG!" The yell was heard clear as day over the babble of the few students who remained at Hogwarts over the holidays and many shouts of alarm followed. Most people jumped in their seats and turned towards the sound. Hermione was jerked from her thoughts and turned quickly towards the Slitherin table while beside her George laughed loudly as he watched the chaos. Hermione's face morphed into a disapproving frown, but the corners of her mouth still betrayed her by tugging slightly upwards.

The Slitherin table was in pandemonium. All of the older students at the table seemed to have something wrong with them. One had artichokes sprouting out his nose. A girl with platinum blonde hair shrieked as a unicorn horn erupted from her forehead. A boy had steam pouring out his ears, and every time he opened his mouth a very loud train whistle would sound. Yet another had been transfigured into a baboon, all except for his face and was throwing food everywhere. Every Slitherin, 5th year and up, had something unnatural happen to them with the exception of Severus Snape. Snape looked around at his panicking classmates, shoved his plate away from himself, and quickly exited the hall.

George laughed until he had tears sliding down his face. Hermione had some trouble keeping herself from laughing, but managed it in the end and gave George a disappointed frown that was completely lost on him because he was laughing so hard. Soon the rest of the hall was filled with laughter.

"Potter, Black, Pettigrew, Lupin! My office now!" McGonagall demanded. The four boys had just entered the hall and were gazing open mouthed at the Slitherins before bursting out laughing heavily.

"Th-th-that was-s-sn't u-us P-Professor!" Remus managed to choke out through his gales of laughter. McGonagall looked down on them in disbelief.

"Oh really? Then who was it, pray tell?" she demanded icily. The boys didn't seem to have an answer and continued to laugh.

"That would be me Professor," George said as he stood. He was still sniggering slightly, but managed to get out a complete sentence. McGonagall lips thinned before their eyes and her sharp eyes cut to George's face.

"You then, Westley. My office now." George snapped into a salute.

"Ma'am yes Ma'am," was all he said before stepping over the bench, giving Hermione a grin and parting wink, and striding off on the familiar route to his Head of House's office whistling a merry tune. Hermione rolled her eyes at his cavalier attitude, but couldn't prevent a small smile and a chuckle.

* * *

George had only lost Gryffindor 25 points and had only received two nights of detention for the prank since it was his "first offense". He chuckled slightly. If only McGonagall knew… Still, even getting off on the light sentence he didn't feel as good as he normally did after a prank. He missed his right hand man. It just wasn't the same without his natural counterpart. He wished his brother were here…

George tried to shake off the depressing thoughts. He knew what happened when they got ahold of him like this and it usually lasted a few days. A few days of bitterness, anger, and loneliness seemed to last a lot longer than it really was. And he suspected that if he let it get ahold of him this time it would be even longer. Christmas was at the end of the week. His first Christmas without Fred…

No. He needed to snap out of it. He gave his head a rough shake. Falling apart right now wouldn't help anyone, least of all himself. George decided to go ahead and go over to the Room of Requirement. The others should be heading over there soon for training or if, not already waiting for him. He marched off as quickly as he could to the 7th floor. The sooner he was in the company of other people, the sooner he could distract himself…

George reached the 7th floor and the passageway containing the Room of Requirement. The door wasn't there yet. The others hadn't arrived. This made him nervous. Not for them, he knew they were safe in the castle. He, on the other hand, desperately needed a distraction from himself. The thoughts of his dead brother were growing stronger and he feared what he would turn into if they took root.

George began pacing the stretch of wall out of habit more than anything, hardly aware of what he was thinking of. The door appeared and he grasped the handle and swung the door open. He stopped in the doorway, surprised by what he saw. It was a cavernous room, made entirely of stone. It also appeared to be totally empty as first glance. George took a tentative couple steps into the room. _What had he been thinking of while he created the room? __**Fred.**_ He'd been thinking of Fred again, despite his best efforts.

George looked around curiously. Thinking about his deceased twin brought him a huge, empty room? It was then that George noticed it. It was a large mirror pushed against the back wall. It stood at least two feet taller than George's 6 foot frame. It had a lavish gold frame and stood upon two gold, clawed feet. There was an inscription at the top George realized. _Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi._

**What the hell?** George thought to himself. **What was this fancy mirror doing in here when he had created the room with thoughts of Fred? Was his own reflection supposed to console him?** He thought bitterly.

Despite his critical thoughts, George approached the mirror. Something, some memory, was niggling at the back of his mind, but he needed to figure out this mirror before he could give it his proper attention. George stepped properly in front of the mirror. He gasped loudly and all of the color drained from his face. Had he been holding anything he would have dropped it. His heart constricted in his chest and his knees buckled. For a moment he thought he might fall.

He now knew exactly what this mirror was. He had never seen it in person, but he had heard all about it through stories. The Mirror of Erised. He was currently staring at nothing more than his heart's greatest desire. Tears filled his eyes as he watched himself standing with Fred, their arms on each other's shoulders and laughing silently at something that only the two in the mirror knew about. And then before his eyes, Hermione came running in from the side and wrapped her arms and round the mirror George. Mirror George smiled widely down at her and kissed her full on the lips.

George felt sick to his stomach. This, his heart's greatest desire, could never come true. Fred was gone. Dead. Dead. Dead. Maybe if he said it enough his heart would figure it out and stop caring so much. Tears poured down George's face. Then the rage came. George let out a furious roar and with all of his might he slammed his fist into the wall beside the mirror. There was a loud crack, and it wasn't the wall.

"George?" a shaky voice asked from behind him. He spun around and saw Hermione standing in the doorway looking a little afraid with the whole group of their friends standing behind her looking shocked. George shut his eyes and spun away, willing them all to disappear. He faintly heard a few murmurs behind him over the blood rushing in his ears and the door shut and then silence.

George let his ridged posture droop. He was alone. He could grieve. For some reason this thought didn't make him as relieved as he thought he'd be. Then he heard the footsteps. Small, soft, and light. Hermione. George exhaled and turned to face her. She was timidly wringing her hands. She stopped when he turned, still a few feet away.

"Oh George," she whispered and started forward again. George took a step back. He wouldn't be able to handle it right now if she touched him. He'd break down and that wasn't something he wanted her to have to see.

Hermione immediately stopped. A flash of hurt crossed her face, but was almost instantly gone.

"George-," Hermione started again.

"He's dead Hermione. Dead. And he can't some back," George's voice came out as an embarrassing croak and cracked at the end, but he didn't care. What was there to care about anymore?

"I know," Hermione whispered, looking close to tears. George shook his head and backed up a little farther.

"No. No you don't. I just saw my heart's deepest desire and it can _never_ happen." George's voice cracked again as he battled for control. "I'll never get to be truly happy, Hermione. That option has been stolen away from me and I have to live the rest of my life with the consequences." Hermione's resolve broke and her tears leaked out of her eyes and down her cheeks. She stood silent for a moment, thinking.

"George. You told me a few days ago that I didn't need to ask permission to give you a hug. Does that still apply?" she asked through her tears. George looked pained and nodded through his own tears. That answer was good enough for Hermione so she strode forward before he could change his mind and threw her arms around him. George squeezed her back tightly.

"Stop bottling this up George," Hermione whispered into his sweater. "You need to talk to someone or you'll keep hurting yourself. I can't stand seeing you hurt like this." George made a noise Hermione wasn't sure if it was a poor attempt at a laugh or a sob. They just stood there for the longest time, holding each other and letting George cry silently into Hermione's hair. At some point a couch appeared and they sank down onto it. Hermione sat fully in George's lap with her arms around his back and his around her waist.

It had to have been an hour later when Hermione finally pulled back from the embrace. George's weeping had long since ceased and his tears were half died on his face. All the same, Hermione made an effort to wipe them away with the sleeve of her sweater.

"There, see George? You don't have to do everything alone. I'm here for you no matter what. I don't expect you to be happy all the time and I certainly don't expect you to always be there for me to cry on and not return the favor. And I don't think any less of you," Hermione told him gently and kissed his cheek. George gave her a ghost of a smile.

"I knew there was a reason I liked you." Hermione gave him a faint smile in return. She settled herself back down onto his chest and gave him a quick squeeze.

"I like you too," she whispered, barely audible. George squeezed her back to show that he'd heard and they sat in silence for a while longer.

"Mione?" George broke the silence. "Do you know how to heal broken hands?" Hermione gasped and bolted up, almost clipping him in the chin.

"Your hand! I forgot. Oh I'm just a horrible person. Here, let me see it," she told him, holding out her own hand to accept his. George chuckled and lifted his hand.

"You're not horrib-," Hermione gasped a second time.

"George! Why didn't you say anything sooner?" Hermione asked as she examined his hand. George just shrugged. Honestly, he hadn't thought about it. It had only really started hurting just then, or maybe that was just when he finally noticed.

Hermione gently handled his hand. It was already incredibly swollen and had deep purple bruising all over it. His knuckles were ripped open and covered in dried blood. Hermione moaned just looking at it.

"I don't think I can George. I've studied a bit recently on healing, but I wouldn't dare attempt anything like this just yet. You should go see Madam Pom- er, Holly." George sighed.

"Alright, if you're sure." Hermione nodded resolutely.

"I am."

"Okay, then how about I head there and get fixed up while you go get the others so we can start training," George suggested. Hermione looked hesitant.

"Are you sure you-,"

"Mione I'm sure. We need to teach them what they're up against. I don't want any of them to die. Make sure Peter comes too. I think he can come for the training, but just sit out of any planning," George said assuredly. Hermione looked a little uncertain.

"Well… Oh alright. I'll get them. You'd better do everything Holly tells you to though," Hermione told him, giving him a look that booked no room for arguing. George laughed lightly.

"Yes Ma'am." Hermione leaned in for one more quick hug and George returned it. Hermione leaned back to stand, but George held her in place. He leaned in to her and gave her a slow kiss on the mouth. Hermione closed her eyes and reveled in it, but it ended too quickly.

"Thank you," George told her quietly, but sincerely looking her straight in the eyes, "For being here for me when I needed you most." Hermione flushed slightly, but replied steadily.

"I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be." George grinned.

"Not even the library?" he asked. Hermione smiled.

"Not even the library," she confirmed before leaning forward and placing another kiss on his lips. She'd meant for it to be a quick, chaste kiss, but when she tried to move back, George came with her. He slipped his uninjured hand behind her head and held her in place as he moved his lips against hers.

Everything about her was simply wonderful: the smell of lavender, her soft lips, and the way she felt against him, her bushy hair in between his fingers, her soft sigh as she snuggled closer. George lost himself in the kiss and only ended it when his brained screamed at him a reminder that he needed air. The rest of him seemed to feel that he could substitute Hermione for air anytime and survive just fine. Regardless of that last thought, he broke the kiss, but left his eyes closed and rested his forehead against hers, breathing deeply.

George pulled himself together and leaned back so he could look her in the eyes. "Hermione, would you like to be my girlfriend?" Hermione's eyes widened in shock, but at the same time a happy smile was already pulling up the corners of her mouth.

"I- yes. Yes, I would," she answered. George's answering smile seemed like it would split his face.

"Brilliant!" he said happily and pecked her lips. Hermione couldn't help but smile widely back as she stood.

"Shall we?" she asked, holding out her hand.

"We shall," George responded, taking her hand with his unbroken hand and not letting go once he was standing. They exited the Room of Requirement without looking back and walked in companionable silence until they were forced to part ways. George stopped at the intersection of hallways and pulled her in for a kiss.

"Mmmm. I don't think I'll ever grow tired of those," George told her. Hermione laughed.

"Well for my sake I hope not." George grinned and kissed her again.

"See you in a bit?"

"Of course."

The couple separated and set off in different directions. Hermione set off along the corridor towards the portrait hole smiling happily. She was George's girlfriend. He was her boyfriend. She was so happy she was tempted to skip the rest of the way to Gryffindor. He was her first _real_ boyfriend after all. She wasn't sure he realized that. Victor Krum had never been her boyfriend; she had just been his date to the ball. Cormac McLaggen was only used to make Ron jealous. Ron himself had just been a long time crush, and then they had mutual feelings during the war that never came to anything.

"Semper Fortis," Hermione said. The fat lady nodded to her and swung forward. Hermione climbed through and looked around the room for her new friends. She spotted a head of red hair in an armchair and made her way over to it.

"Hey Lily," Hermione greeted cheerfully. Lily, who had been reading a novel, set aside her book and smiled up at her friend.

"Hey yourself. So how's George?" she asked looking concerned.

"Oh I think I managed to talk him off the ledge for the time being. We'll just have to treat him like everything is normal. It'll drive him up the wall if we're all walking on eggshells around him," Hermione told her with a grin she just couldn't wipe off her face. Lily observed her silently for a moment.

"Well, whatever happened it must have gone well because you're extremely happy about it," Lily finally replied. Hermione couldn't stop her grin from transforming into a huge smile.

"Anything else you'd like to tell me?" Lily asked. Hermione couldn't stop the giggle that escaped her lips.

"He asked me to be his girlfriend!" she babbled. Lily squealed in delight and rushed over to hug Hermione.

"Oh that's just wonderful! You two are just so cute together! I saw that the first day I met you!" Lily babbled excitedly. Hermione laughed at her friend.

"What's going on?" Alice and Nikki appeared from the dormitory, looking at their friends with amused expressions. Hermione turned her beaming face to them.

"George and I-,"

"Hermione!" Hermione stopped her sentence and turned towards the shout. It was James as he came running down from the boys' dormitory. Sirius, Remus, and Peter were not far behind and all were extremely white faced.

"What happened?" Hermione asked, immediately concerned.

"The map. You should see. We just noticed." James's broken sentences made no sense to Hermione, but she moved quickly over to him.

"What is it?" she asked impatiently. James unfolded the map in response and pointed out an area to Hermione. Hermione could tell immediately what was wrong. She gasped and the blood drained from her face.

"But how? That's not. It can't be." Hermione stuttered.

"The map never lies, Hermione," James told her seriously. Hermione shook her head in disbelief.

"But it's not possible!" she cried. Then something else on the map caught her eye. It was George, on a direct path to intersect the mysterious dot that shouldn't be there. Her heart stopped in her chest.

"George," she whispered fearfully before turning and fleeing the common room and withdrawing her wand in the process. James looked at what she had seen on the map and his eyes widened.

"Let's go," he said before hurrying after Hermione and not pausing to check that the others followed.

* * *

George left the hospital wing flexing his newly healed hand. It still felt a bit stiff, but he figured if he worked it enough then it would be back to normal soon enough. It impressed him, but didn't really surprise him that Hermione had been reading up on Healing. Knowing her she'd be brilliant at it. George smiled to himself thinking about his girlfriend. His girlfriend. He liked the way that sounded.

He whistled happily as he headed back to the 7th floor. He wasn't going to let anyone or anything ruin his happy mood. He deserved to feel happy. He had missed this feeling of just content happiness and he wasn't about to let it leave him so soon. Little did he know just how soon he would be breaking this promise to himself. George rounded a corner and his heart stopped in his chest. He forgot to breathe and felt his knees buckle. The only thing that kept him from falling in a heap on the floor at the moment was the shaking hand he put on the wall.

To anyone else they might have thought it was a mirror, a reflection, but George knew what his brother looked like. He knew exactly how to tell himself apart from his twin. The way he stood, the way he carried himself, was always a dead giveaway. While George usually had a more happy bounce to his step, Fred strode around with confidence. While George was laid back and took his time with things, Fred always had somewhere he wanted to be, something to do. Fred could make a snap decision and then put his all into accomplishing it.

"Fred?" George whispered. The figure at the end of the hall stopped its progress and spun around.

"Georgie?" it asked. "George!" It began quickly striding toward him with Fred's purposeful gait. George panicked. His brain seemed to be in a fog. He didn't know what to do. He stumbled backwards in terror. He was very close to tripping and falling, but somehow managed to stop himself. The Fred imposter stopped in its tracks, still about 8 feet away.

"George? Are you alright?" The man asked in what sounded like concern. George made a strangled sound in his throat and tried to back up further.

"He's dead. He's dead. He's dead," George repeated to himself, but he couldn't seem to rip his eyes away from the apparition in front of him.

"George, I can see this is a bit of a shock-,"

"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM HIM!" George and Fred jumped in surprise at the exact same time and turned to see Hermione storming down the corridor looking furious with her wand pointed at Imposter Fred's chest.

"Ah Hermione, good to see you again to-," Imposter Fred started, nervously eyeing her wand.

"Cut the crap. Who are you? Why are you here? And what the _hell_ were you hoping to gain by pulling a _sick_ stunt like this?" She demanded furiously. Fred's eyes widened as a large group of students came rushing around the corner, their wands also held aloft and pointed directly at him.

"Woa, you've got to let me explain," he said looking extremely nervous. "George-,"

"DON'T YOU DARE SPEAK TO HIM! IT'S BAD ENOUGH WHAT YOU'VE PUT HIM THROUGH ALREADY!" Hermione shrieked in outrage. Fred eyed her wand warily.

"Alright, alright Granger. Just try not to hex me into next week before I can explain-,"

"I'll do whatever I bloody well please," she hissed at him through narrowed eyes.

"Right," Imposter Fred responded. "I'm Fred. I can prove it!" he said loudly before Hermione could interrupt. "In my 6th year, your 4th you started spew,"

"It's-," Hermione began hotly.

"S.P.E.W. then! Whatever!" Fred said rolling his eyes. "It stands for… something about protecting elves and their welfare. That was the year Voldemort returned, helped along by Peter Pettigrew. Harry fought him and escaped and then Barty Crouch Junior, who was disguised as Mad-Eye Moody, tried to kill Harry."

"You could have learned that from a history book. And S.P.E.W. was common knowledge at Hogwarts that year," Hermione spat, unconvinced. Fred rolled his eyes.

"If you think so," he muttered. Hermione glared.

"You're not helping yourself here," she snarled viciously. Fred held up his hands in surrender.

"Alright, alright. Keep your skirt on. Umm, Harry gave George and me his winnings from the Triwizard Tournament so we could start up Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. He also came to Bill and Fleur's wedding disguised as Barney Weasley. Really, George and I just snagged a couple hairs off a red haired muggle boy in the village and used them for a Polyjuice Potion. Er, in our 5th year we gave Harry the Marauders' Map so he could get to Hogsmead. We had it memorized anyway. As it turns out his dad was one of the creators, a fact that I'm still totally jealous of. I get a dad who's obsessed with muggles and Harry gets a brilliant prankster. Not fair. Erm, Oh! Our 7th year, no one knows that George's and my final prank before we left on our broomsticks, the portable swamp, was really a diversion so Harry could use Umbridge's fireplace to talk to Sirius," Fred finished looking pleased with himself.

Hermione's wand had drooped a little bit. She shook her head as though trying to clear it.

"I don't understand. How-?"

"No. It can't be. You're dead," George finally regained his ability to speak. He now stood straight with his shoulders squared, but his face was carefully blank. Fred looked at his brother. He looked slightly nervous at George's facial expression.

"Georgie. I was born a natural lefty whereas you were a natural righty. We found this out quickly when we started coloring. We mutually decided that I would learn to be a righty like you so people still wouldn't be able to tell us apart. We never told a soul," Fred said quietly. George's jaw dropped in shock. Fred gave him a look and they communicated silently for a few more moments.

"Freddie?" George finally whispered. Fred nodded and smiled widely.

"Yes brother?" he asked. George shook his head, but a small smile was tugging at the corners of his lips.

"I can't believe it," George said. Fred grinned wider.

"Well you'd better start, because I'm back and I'm not going anywhere," Fred said resolutely.

George smiled slightly and Fred saw his queue that it was safe to approach his brother. In a few of his signature, purposeful strides he reached his twin and didn't hesitate to wrap him in a hug. George clasped him back tightly. After a few moments they each pulled apart and laughed happily.

"I've missed you so much Fred. Nothing is the same without you," George told him, tears leaking out of his eyes unashamedly. Fred's eyes were glistening with moisture.

"Well I'm back now so you don't have to anymore," he told him, squeezing shoulder.

"How is this possible?" George asked still looking dazed. "I saw you. I cried over you in the Great Hall. We buried you Fred. I don't understand," George looked his brother in the eyes, begging to comprehend. Fred frowned in thought.

"It's really complicated and confusing actually. I'm not really sure how, but I can tell you what I know," Fred told him. George nodded.

"I know how that is… Let's go to the-,"

"Room of Requirement," Fred nodded.

"-and talk there," George finished. As one, the brother's turned towards the rest of the group. Hermione was beaming happily at the pair with tears in her eyes while the rest were just slightly slack jawed and wide eyed.

"Oh Harry you're here too!" Fred suddenly said as he examined the group for the first time. "Oh, not Harry," he quickly corrected as his eyes widened and he took in the rest of the group. He turned to George and Hermione.

"Bloody hell. It looks like you two have some explaining to do as well!" he said, looking amazed. Hermione and George both just grinned.

"A bit," George said. Fred was looking between the two with suspicious eyes. "A _lot_ of explaining to do." Hermione's eyes widened, but George just grinned widely, his eyes twinkling.

"All in good time Freddie. All in good time," he told him, while patting his twin's shoulder. Fred gave him a look and George seemed to respond. Fred's eyebrows raised and a large smile cracked across his face.

"Interesting," was all Fred said, with a side long glance at Hermione. Hermione flushed. She knew that he knew about her and George. She turned to the group.

"Right. Well let's get a move on then. We don't have all day. We still have training to get done," she told them. The group all had looks of startled amazement on their faces, but turned and followed Hermione's directions. Remus turned to speak to Hermione.

"Wow, you really weren't kidding. Identical to the last freckle. And how do they do that talking thing?" he asked rhetorically. Hermione grinned at him.

"I told you they were brilliant." Fred gasped.

"Hermione Granger thinks we're brilliant? What have we done that deserves such high recognition?" George grinned at his twin.

"You mean, what haven't we done Freddie," George told his twin. Fred waved his hand in dismissal.

"Of course that's what I meant Georgie. But all the same, I never thought I'd hear the day when Hermione Granger complimented Hogwarts' greatest pranksters!" Fred teased, feigning shock. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Oh I dunno _Freddie_. From what I hear of the Marauders your self given title might be in jeopardy," Hermione said slyly, with a discrete wink at George. Fred looked gob smacked for a moment before pulling himself back together.

"Did you hear that Gred or is my hearing impaired? Is Hermione making comments that will no doubt end in a prank war?" Fred asked his twin. George nodded solemnly.

"That's what I heard Forge. But you know me, I'm a little hard on _ear_ing now a days," he said with a sidelong look at Fred. Fred's lips twitched slightly.

"Ahh true. I'd forgotten about that little factor, Your Holiness," Fred responded, nodding. "Regardless, I'm positive that's what she said, so now you know we have no choice."

"None at all."

"She forced our hand this time."

"You think we could convince McGonagall-,"

"To have Hermione take the blame?" The twins were both lost in thought for a moment and then responded simultaneously.

"Nah. She loves her."

"Even if she doesn't know her in this time," George started.

"Their love is so strong," Fred continued.

"That it can probably be,"

"Felt across the time divide," they finished together and nodded at each other. "I agree," they said in unison. Hermione laughed aloud. Merlin how she'd missed this.

"Dear Godric, and now she's laughing at our jokes?" Fred exclaimed putting a hand to his forehead. "What have you done to our little Prefect, George?" George grinned.

"Nothing, I swear! She just started lying about snowflakes and cheating in snowball fights and hasn't been the same since!" he exclaimed to his twin and grinned at a blushing Hermione.

"Well when you say it like that…" Hermione commented.

"It's not a bad thing!" George said hurriedly, throwing an arm around her shoulders. "Quite the opposite, love. It's wonderful experiencing the mischievous you," he told her with a grin and a wink. Hermione smiled back, loving how happy George was.

"Love eh?" Fred asked with raised eyebrows. "You two have _so_ much explaining to do. Hermione blushed again and George felt the back of his neck heat slightly, but ignored it. He and Fred had another silent conversation, after which, Fred shrugged with a smirk on his face.

"Whatever you say Georgie, whatever you say." George rolled his eyes, but couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face. He loved having his brother back.

The group made it back to the Room of Requirement and, after Sirius created the room, entered it. The room was back to its original layout. There were the couches and various types of chairs for them all to choose from. The only difference from before was that there were now two giant purple beanbags. Fred and George immediately headed for the beanbags, as everyone else chose their seats. Hermione headed for the armchair beside George's beanbag, but before she could quite reach it a hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her down into its owner's lap. She landed heavily with an "Oof."

"Nice try," George complimented her. Hermione rolled her eyes at her boyfriend and instead of trying to get up and move, just snuggled in next to him to get comfortable. Fred watched this with raised eyebrows and a smirk. He couldn't wait to hear this story. His eyes wandered the room to take inventory of everyone present. There were two girls he was pretty sure he didn't know. His eyes appraised what could only be the Marauders. A smirk crossed his face, this would be interesting. His smirk immediately died on his lips when he noticed the last person, standing back a bit from the group. He scowled. What was Peter Pettigrew doing here, the dirty traitor?

"What's the dirty traitor doing here?" Fred never was one to censor his thoughts. The room went deathly silent as he glared down Pettigrew, who looked upset and uncomfortable and stared at the floor rather than meet his gaze.

"We told Peter about his future," Hermione broke the silence hesitantly. "He was horrified. At this point in the past he has no yearning to betray his friends or side with Voldemort to save his own skin. We're giving him a second chance," Hermione tried to explain.

"How do we know he's not lying? How do we know he's not faking everything he says?" Fred demanded, not taking his eyes off Peter. "Merlin knows he fooled us all once. Hell, he fooled the whole Wizarding world. How can we trust him?" Hermione looked slightly irritated.

"Well if that's the case, then he has a very backwards way of gathering information for Voldemort," Hermione pointed out heatedly. "He sat out our last meeting when we discussed everything about the future and what we plan to do. He was afraid that something might change him in the future and he might reveal all of our plans to Voldemort. He would rather not know than risk his friends," Hermione explained. Peter sent Hermione a grateful glance, and Hermione was suddenly forcibly reminded of young Neville Longbottom. She mentally shook the image from her head.

"Yeah Pettigrew is good at being afraid isn't he. Too afraid for his own life to save his friends," Fred said cruelly. Peter flinched.

"Fred," George said suddenly. Fred snapped his eyes to his twin. They seemed to be having a heated nonverbal discussion. It was fascinating how they could communicate so effectively without words. After a minute or so Fred finally looked away in defeat.

"Fine. But keep in mind, Pettigrew," he spoke now to Peter directly. "I don't trust as easy as most people. If I catch even a faint whiff of Death Eater activity from you, you'll regret ever having met me," he threatened. Peter paled, but nodded.

"I-I think I'll just sit this one out too guys," he mumbled to the floor before turning to walk out. There were quiet murmurs of goodbye as the depressed boy left the room. After the door shut behind Peter there were a few moments of awkward silence.

"You… You don't think you might have been a little hard on him?" Alice finally asked tentatively. Fred's eyes widened in surprise at her question.

"No," he answered immediately. "There is nothing worse than someone who would betray his friends to spare his own life. I speak from experience when I say that I would die for my friends and family without a second thought," he said, completely serious. There was silence for a few more moments as the room digested his words. Alice nodded.

"I can see where you're coming from then," she told him with an ironic smile. Fred stared at her for a moment in thought.

"What's your name, you seem horribly familiar?" he asked. Alice smiled sadly.

"Alice Fortescue," she answered quietly.

"Like the ice cream shop?" he asked. Alice smiled slightly, glad her daddy's new shop stayed in business for 20 years.

"Yes, but that wouldn't be where you recognize me from. My longtime boyfriend is Frank Longbottom," she explained. Fred's eyes widened and his mouth opened in a comical O.

"Oh," he said through his surprise. "Umm do you know…?" he asked hesitantly. Alice smiled sadly.

"Yes," she answered quietly. Fred just nodded, unsure of what else to say to this girl with the horrible fate awaiting her and her future husband. There was silence for another few minutes.

"So you died," Nikki broke the silence bluntly. Lily and Alice sent her glares for being so rude while the rest of the room looked surprised, save Fred who looked amused.

"Yes," Fred answered simply with a slight grin and waited for her to continue.

"How are you alive then? And how did you die in the first place? That was kind of skated over in the explanation seeing as it was a bit of a sticky spot, but now that you're back I don't see a problem with informing the rest of us," she asked, leaning forward in her seat, eagerly awaiting the information she sought. She noticed the frown Lily had directed at her and frowned back.

"What? I know you all were wondering the same thing. You just didn't have the nerve to ask." Lily rolled her eyes, but smiled at her friend's way of thinking.

"It's not that we didn't have the nerve to ask, we just didn't want be rude or offensive," Lily explained. Nikki rolled her eyes.

"Same thing."

"Who are you?" Fred asked curiously.

"Nicolette Gilliam. Nikki for short," she answered. Fred turned to Hermione and George.

"Do we know what happens to her?" he asked. They shook their heads mutely in unison.

"Ah, shame," Fred lamented with a slight frown. "So Nikki, I suppose I should just start at the beginning then and answer your questions yeah?" Fred didn't really expect an answer and looked at the ceiling to collect his thoughts.

"How I died… I don't really remember much. I remember laughing with my older brother Percy. He'd just made a joke for the first time since we were kids. He was a bit of a stuck up prat you see. Big Head Boy we used to call him," Fred reminisced with a grin that George mimicked. "Never took a liking to that nickname for some reason," George snickered and Fred smirked.

"Anyway, I remember being floored that Percy made a joke, as he was dueling the Imperiosed Minister of Magic of the time no less. I remember laughing, and then there was a huge explosion. I remember lots of screaming and then nothing." Fred looked like he was trying to pull something from his memory, then gave up and turned to his brother.

"How did I die? Was it a Death Eater curse? Maybe a-a bomb?" George looked like he was suppressing a grin, much to the rest of the room's surprise.

"It was a wall," he informed his brother. "You were killed by a wall." Fred's mouth opened in shock as he stared at his brother.

"Nuh uh. You're yanking my wand," Fred stated. George shook his head with a smile.

"Nope. Sorry Freddie. You were killed by a big bad wall." Fred looked horrified.

"A wall."

"A wall Freddie."

"A wall?" Fred asked yet again, as though he couldn't comprehend what he was being told. Hermione rolled her eyes and decided to put an end to the conversation that was going nowhere.

"If it helps any the wall was blasted down by Death Eaters, so basically you were killed by Death Eaters," Hermione told him. Fred seemed to think it over for a minute and then nodded slowly.

"Alright. That's a good way to die, right George? Killed by Death Eaters is killed by Death Eaters right?" Fred asked his twin. George nodded seriously.

"I'd say so. Glorious way to go out," he told his brother.

"Alright, good. Death by Death Eaters it is," Fred said, nodding again. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Boys," she muttered under her breath. George heard her and shot her a huge smile and kissed her check.

"You know you love us," he told her. Hermione couldn't resist the smile that tugged her cheeks.

"Did I ever stand a chance?" she asked. George laughed.

"No."

Fred cleared his throat and sent them a look extremely reminiscent of Professor McGonagall, but since it was on Fred's face of course neither could take it seriously. George chuckled.

"Yes Freddie? Can we help you?" he asked innocently.

"Yes," Fred sniffed. "If you two lovebirds are done _nauseating_ the rest of us I have a story to finish." Hermione snorted.

"More like a story to start. We've been sitting here for 20 minutes and the only thing we've been able to deduce from your story is that you were killed by a _wall_," Hermione said pointedly. Fred looked aghast. His jaw had dropped and he looked simply lost for words. Of course this was Fred Weasley, so that didn't last long.

"I demand you get a new girlfriend!" Fred, well, demanded. "This one is too intelligent and can beat us at our own games!"

Everyone in the room busted up laughing at this. Hermione looked self-conscious, but pleased all the same and laughed at Fred's dramatics. George laughed at his brother.

"Not in this lifetime Freddie boy. I rather like the one I've got, thanks," George said and smiled down at Hermione who looked thoroughly embarrassed now.

"For the record I think you're pretty great too," she informed him with a pink cheeked smile. George smiled back and opened his mouth to reply.

"Oh gag me," Fred complained, cutting off whatever his twin was about to say. "Get a room would you?" George rolled his eyes.

"Or you could just get on with your story and you wouldn't have to listen to us," George told him with a happy grin. Fred stuck his tongue out at George, who just smirked in return.

"Alright then, where was I?"

"You just died," Nikki offered helpfully.

"Right you are. Okay so I died. There was nothing for a long time, and then there was like a bright white mist and it's hard to explain. The mist kind of took the shape of a room. It wasn't like I was in a room full of mist. It was more like the mist was the room. Does that make sense?" Everyone nodded their heads a bit.

"Right so I'm in this room all alone. And at first it just seemed like any old room, but then it started to get a bit more defined and I noticed that I recognized it. It was the shop. I'm not really sure why, maybe because that was the place where I was most comfortable, most in my element. I waited there for a long time, at first not really knowing what it was that I was waiting for.

"Then it hit me. I could've slapped myself for being so dense. It wasn't an _it_ that I was waiting for, it was a _who_. I was waiting for George," Fred said, smiling warmly at his brother, who was looking at him with wide eyes.

"I knew I couldn't move on without him, but I had no desire to return as a ghost, so I waited in a kind of in between. It was right after I realized this that the mist that created the window on the front of the shop started to clear and become colored. I thought it was like a picture at first, but then I realized it was more like a umm, that muggle contraption. The one with the shows and things," Fred tried to explain.

"A television," Hermione supplied for him, looking amused.

"That's the one. So yeah it was like a television. Only it didn't show me silly muggles pretending things, it showed me George," Fred said with another warm smile at his brother. George's eyes widened in amazement.

"Me?" he asked. Fred rolled his eyes.

"Yes you, you dingbat. You're the only George I know."

"What was I doing?" George asked nervously.

"Not a lot dear brother, not a lot," Fred said giving his twin a look. George looked down at his knees, looking ashamed. Hermione snaked her hand into his and gave it a squeeze and left it there.

"So I spent my time in the in between watching George. Not everything, just a scene every now and then. I settled myself in for a long wait. I didn't want to meet up with George anytime soon. It felt like I was only in the in between for a few hours, but I could tell by watching George that months had passed. Pretty soon it was nearing Christmas. I was beginning to think that George would continue to close himself off through the holidays, when low and behold, this little witch came sneaking into the shop," Fred said smiling widely and gesturing to Hermione. Hermione looked embarrassed and Fred winked at her.

"She came in and somehow did what no one else had been successful in doing, and trust me when I say that there had been several previous attempts. She had bullied and guilt tripped George into going to the Weasley family Christmas dinner," Fred announced. At this point, George and Hermione were both incredibly embarrassed and were both examining their knees thoroughly, though still holding hands.

"I rejoiced up in my little shop, happy that my brother was finally interacting with the family again. Then as Hermione was trying to leave, the explosion happened. I watched our precious shop burn, the Death Eater attack, and then George and Hermione disappeared. My window into their world just went blank. I panicked a fair bit. I was definitely not ready to be reunited with my brother just then. I had no idea what was happening to him. Then, just as I was about to really start freaking out, I saw movement in my window. It was a woman, she was really far off and my first horrified thought was that it was Hermione, and that George would soon follow.

"As the woman got closer, it became apparent that she was certainly _not_ Hermione. She was wearing a long red dress, had short black hair, and the oddest part was that she had a feather strapped to her head." Every single jaw in the room dropped. They had certainly not expected this twist.

"Oh so you've all heard of her then? Brilliant!" Fred said happily, having noticed the many open mouths.

"Anyhow, she appeared in the window, and then eventually stepped right through it and into my shop. I was a bit surprised, because this was the first interaction I'd had of any kind for several months. I asked who she was, perhaps a bit more rudely that necessary. She told me she was Ma'at and that she was in charge of maintaining the balance of truth, justice, and harmony on earth. She told me that the earth's balance needed to be realigned and that I was needed, along with two others, to do it. Then she said some weird incantation and everything went black.

"When I woke up, I was breathing. It was the strangest thing. I hadn't breathed for months. Then I realized that the stone floor I was laying on was cold. I had never felt hot, cold, warm, uncomfortable or anything in the in between. It was wonderful in a way. I felt like I'd been gifted back some of my senses. It was then that my curiosity kicked in. George knows how that usually goes," Fred told his brother with a wink. George smiled widely at his brother.

"Too well," he agreed.

"So I picked myself up off the floor and took a look around. I was so shocked, I about fell right back on my face again. I was right beside that veil in the archway at the Ministry. The one Sirius fell through," Fred said with a slight apologetic look at Sirius, who just shrugged.

"So needless to say, I scrambled away from that thing right quick. No way was I going to die again so soon after coming back to life. I tried to disapparate right there, but the Department of Mysteries must have anti-apparation charms on it, because it wouldn't let me. So instead, I spent the next 20 minutes trying to figure out which door was the bloody exit. Luckily, the place was deserted. Once I found my way out, I was able to ride the lift up to the atrium and disapparate from there.

"Of course the first place I went was the Burrow. I wasn't sure how well everyone would receive me, so I apparated outside on the street. I was a bit nervous and didn't want to just barge in there not knowing who all I'd be facing, so I took a peak in the window. I about fell over in shock when I saw mum was pregnant! How the bloody hell did that happen? I wondered to myself. Then I noticed Bill and Charlie running around, as kids! That's when I realized how much younger mum looked. Then I ran back to the street and noticed what I hadn't before in the dark. The Burrow hadn't had all of those extra rooms stuck on it yet. It was still a nice little cottage.

"That's when I decided I needed to get the hell out of there and that Ma'at, or whoever, had sent me into the past. So I apparated to that wood that the Quidditch World Cup was in and made camp there for a few days so I could gather my thoughts. I ate lots of berries and different roots that I knew were edible and at one point managed to knick some bloke's pocket knife when I went into town. That helped a lot with things. I thought a lot while I was there. I had to figure out what to do.

Should I change the past? Should I assume a fake identity and get a job and just blend for the rest of my life? I wasn't exactly sure what Ma'at had expected me to do to restore the balance and whatever else. Then I remembered that she said me and two others had to fix things and I wondered how I'd find these other two. After a few days of this I decided that I needed help and the one place I knew would always give me help if I asked was Hogwarts, so here I am," Fred finished his tale.

Everyone sat silently in thought for a little while. It was a truly unbelievable tale. Here, in their midst, was someone who had come back from the dead, and had even told them what it had been like. They were now a very unique group of people. They knew what happened after death, or at least part of it.

"The misty room," Hermione mused aloud, "It sounds a lot like Harry's King's Cross Station after Voldemort hit him with Avada Kedavra the second time."

"What?!" Fred yelped. "Voldemort got Harry again?" Hermione looked surprised for a moment.

"Oh right, you don't know," she reminded herself aloud. Fred rolled his eyes.

"Well no. I was a bit preoccupied at the time. You know, you tend to miss a few things when you're dead."

"Oh quite being such a drama queen," Hermione said flippantly. Fred's eyes almost bugged out of his skull.

"Queen?!" he exclaimed. "I am the _height_ of male thank you! I can prove it too!" he exclaimed loudly and then made as though to stand.

"NO!" the entire room yelled, horrified. Hermione and George had simultaneously tried to launch themselves on Fred as though to tackle him, but ended up tackling each other instead and landed in a mess of limbs a foot short of Fred. James had slapped a hand over Lily's eyes and Sirius had done the same for James while covering his own eyes. Remus looked wide eyed and alarmed, and rather as though he was facing a basilisk. He was ready to snap his gaze away at the first sign of unwanted movement. Alice was blushing furiously and hiding her face in her hands, but Nikki just laughed and seemed to enjoy the reactions around the room.

Fred laughed along with her and then turned an amused stare around the rest of them.

"I think I'm going to like it here," he announced. "You lot have immensely entertaining reactions. Except you," he added towards Nikki with a frown on his lips, but a humored twinkle in his eyes. "We'll have to work on you."

**AN: Who saw that coming? I really debated whether or not Fred should come back. Are you happy he's back? Would you have liked the story better if he hadn't? I need your feedback people! Not that it matters I guess, because Fred's back from the dead and I can't unback him from the dead. Unless he dies again later in the story… O.o**

**Also I realize this is a long chapter, but I had a lot of info to fit in. As it is, I still have more, but I'll save that for the next chapter.**

**Oh Yes. And an extra pat on the back for me for actually remembering to go back and re-add in all of my horizontal lines. And I deeply apologize to anyone who may have been confused by previous scene changes in the story because the lines weren't there.**


	10. Ch 10: Confessions of a Teenage Army

***Sings* It's my story and I can do what I want to! Do what I want to! Dooo what I want to!**

**Disclaimer: It's not really my story and I can only do a limited amount of things with it without getting it deleted off of or being accused of plagiarism. It really belongs to J.K. Rowling. **

**In short, that whole song was a lie…**

**Previously…**

"_I think I'm going to like it here," he (Fred Weasley) announced. "You lot have immensely entertaining reactions. Except you," he added towards Nikki with a frown on his lips, but a humored twinkle in his eyes. "We'll have to work on you."_

**Chapter 10: Confessions of a Teenage Army**

For the next hour George explained to Fred all about what happened after he died. He explained about the Horcruxes (Ah! That was the secret mission!), and the Hollows (Wicked!), about how Harry allowed Voldemort to "kill" him (noble git), about how Harry talked to Dumbledore in Harry's own in between (his must have been in King's Cross because he got to pick whether to stay or go whereas for me I just had to get comfortable and wait), about how Voldemort paraded Harry's body in front of them (evil arse), how his spells wouldn't hold against them (hmmm), about Mrs. Weasley killing Bellatrix (GO MUM!), about Harry and Voldemort's final conversation about Voldemort's mistakes (bloody hell), about Harry trying to get Voldemort to feel remorse and mend his soul (Ah Harry, you're too good for the rest of us), and about Voldemort's defeat (WOOHOO!).

Fred had already pretty much seen the state of the Wizarding World after the war, but George quickly gave him an overview just in case there was something he had missed. Then George moved onto his and Hermione's last day in 1998.

He told him about how he had been in one of his depressions that day and hadn't bothered opening up the shop, staying in bed all day instead. He told him about forgetting to lock the backdoor to the shop, because he was in such a bad state and didn't even think about it until after the wards informed him of an intruder. He did a quick sweep of his wand and noticed it was Hermione.

He really didn't want to talk to anyone, so he decided he'd play a mean joke on her in the hopes that she would storm out and leave him be. George said all of this, while carefully avoiding his girlfriend's eyes. He told them all about how he had, with a simple flick of his wand, unlocked and opened the door to the flat and then quickly covered himself with the blanket and waited.

He told them how Hermione had checked the entire apartment for intruders before she noticed him. He told them how she had "woken" him, how he had scared her, and then how they had argued. He told them about how Hermione had set him in his place and opened his eyes to the fact that just because Fred was gone, his family didn't love or need him any less. That realization, coupled with his own guilt at making her think he'd been attacked, was what had helped him make his decision. Then he told him about the explosion, the attack, and Hermione and him trying to side along each other at the same time, but to different places.

"This is where it gets a little strange, Fred," George warned his twin. Fred just raised his eyebrows.

"Stranger than my story?" he asked.

"Ah, well no, but you did set the standard rather high," George said with an amused grin. Fred grinned back, looking rather pleased with himself.

"I did, didn't I?" George rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, so we end up in one of those Egyptian Pyramids that we toured when we were on vacation."

"Oooo, which one?" Fred asked excitedly. George laughed.

"That one we tried to shut Percy in actually! Oh how ironic!" Fred and George laughed.

"Kaaarrmaaa," Lily sing-songed.

"What?" Every pureblood in the room asked in unison.

"Nothing," Lily said rolling her eyes. "Muggle thing."

"Anyway," George continued giving Lily an odd look. "So we landed in there and it was pitch black so we didn't immediately know where we were. Then I found out that Hermione got splinched and luckily she had some Essence of Ditt-," George stopped abruptly and turned to Hermione with confusion etched into his face.

"Why did you have Essence of Dittany on you?" he asked her. Hermione flushed and refused to me his eyes.

"Habit," she mumbled to the floor. "Since the war." George's frown deepened.

"What else do you carry around in that bag of yours?" he asked seriously. Hermione blushed even darker.

"Just- Just some essentials… You know, a couple changes of clothes, a toothbrush, hair comb, some Polyjuice and other potions, a tent, nonperishable food…" she finished in a whisper. George looked dismayed and deeply sad at the same time.

"Oh Mione," he said, pulling her into his arms. "Do you always have it with you?"

Hermione smiled sadly and her eyes looked worn. She drew away from George and pulled an extremely beat up and thread bare beaded bag out of her sock.

"Always," she whispered sadly.

"Mione," George moaned. "Why didn't you tell me before? When we talked the other day?" Hermione got a small spark back in her eye.

"Because it's embarrassing, George. It's not exactly something that I enjoy to go spouting off about whenever the topic is brought up," Hermione said heatedly, looking George in the eye. George looked somewhat surprised, but secretly pleased at her change in demeanor.

"Mione you can tell me anything and I won't judge you," George told her honestly. Hermione's eyes flashed slightly.

"Fine then. I only made it seem as though I was adjusting well. I planned it all out. I'd gotten myself my own place. I'd gotten a good job that kept me constantly busy. I even broke things off with Ron in a slightly harsh way so that he would just draw away from me and I wouldn't have to do the work of drawing away from him. I let Harry spend all of his time with Ginny and vice versa. I did amazingly well removing myself from your family. I did so well that no one even noticed that I was distant. Now tell me that is not screwed up. I knew how screwed up it was, but I did it anyway. No, George. Let me finish," Hermione said as George looked like he wanted to take her back into his arms. Hermione began listing things off on her fingers.

"I'm afraid to sleep, I'm afraid of the dark, I'm afraid of large crowds, I'm afraid of being alone, I'm afraid of wide open spaces, and I'm afraid to leave the relative safety of my room without a bag jammed full of things that we took on our Horcrux hunt. Those things were so vital to our survival back then that I'm terrified to be without them now. I'm just so screwed up George. I don't even know myself anymore." Hermione had started out strong and angry, but by the time she finished her voice was barely a whisper and she had tears dripping down her cheeks.

George reached over and lovingly brushed the tears from her face.

"We seem to be making a habit of this love," he commented with a wry grin. Hermione gave a dry chuckle and George continued. "Well just so you know I'm afraid of being smothered. No listen," George insisted as she opened her mouth with a frown. "I can't even sleep with the blankets over my face. I flip out. I inhale my breath and I feel like I'm suffocating. And when I was really little, I remember Charlie used to sit on me and pin me to the floor. He always laughed at me because I would freak out. I couldn't expand my lungs fully and I would panic. See silly, huh?" George said with a small grin. Hermione shook her head and opened her mouth to speak, but Fred suddenly jumped in.

"And I'm afraid of failing." Hermione looked skeptical at this announcement. "No really! Not about classes or anything like that, but things that I really want to do. Like when George and I were trying to open the shop. It had become a nightly ritual for me to have a panic attack about it and for George to have to talk me down until I was calm enough to sleep." Hermione looked faintly surprised at this, but pressed on.

"Yeah, but-,"

"I'm afraid of pelicans," Alice offered. Everyone turned to look at her, slightly surprised. "What? They're scary! Especially when you're forced into a giant mob of them and people are feeding them," Alice shuddered at a memory. "They've got these hook things on their bills to hold the fish better, but they're not afraid to use it on you if you get in the way of their meal."

"I'm afraid of frogs and making the wrong decisions," Lily chimed in. "Frogs just creep me out. And I second guess my self so often that I tend to miss out on things that could be really great for me." James sent her a look.

"I'll say," he muttered. Lily hit him playfully. "You're turn," she informed him.

"I'm afraid of muggle bridges," he said matter of factly. There was a slight pause as though everyone was waiting to hear that he was joking.

"So let me make sure I understand," Hermione said slowly when it became obvious that there was no punch line. "You're perfectly at ease, hundreds of feet up in the air on a little strip of flying wood that people are trying to knock you off of, but you're afraid of a big, strong, unmoving bridge?" James nodded.

"Sounds about right, yeah." Hermione just shook her head in defeat, but with a slight smile now.

"I'm afraid of rejection," Remus told the room. "I'm terrified that I'm going to end up alone and a monster." There was silence for a moment after this.

"You know we wouldn't let that happen, Moony," James reassured him. Remus just smiled slightly in return.

"I'm afraid of turning out like my family, or one day having kids who turn out like my family," Sirius revealed. Everyone nodded in understanding.

"I'm afraid to trust people," Nikki filled the silence. Everyone except Lily and Alice looked surprised. Fred gave her a quizzical look. She just stared him down, as though daring him to ask.

"Why's that?" Fred asked. He never was one to turn down a dare. Nikki sent him her fiercest scowl.

"None of your business," she spat, "so nose out." Fred merely raised his eyebrows.

"Interesting," he commented. She just glared in response.

George decided to try and diffuse the tense atmosphere by turning back to Hermione.

"See Mione. Everyone has things that they're afraid of, even Gryffindors." Hermione didn't look convinced.

"But mine are so silly and irrational." George laughed.

"What and you think ours are all logically sound? What about James' fear of bridges? Or Lily's fear of making the wrong decision? Have you ever met someone, besides yourself, who's so level headed? And Fred, afraid that he'll fail at opening a joke shop? That's ridiculous. Do you see where I'm coming from Mione? Fear isn't rational. I know you're used to The Chosen One and his greatest fear being fear itself, but the rest of us don't live up to such high standards. Being afraid of something and not having a good reason why is normal.

"But even then, you _have_ a good reason why. You _had_ to fear all of that in order to stay alive. You had to be aware of anywhere the enemy might be to keep yourself and your friends safe and you had to be prepared for anything. It's no wonder the fear and old habits haven't gone away yet. You just need some good friends to help you overcome your fears. That's what being a Gryffindor is about; not letting your fear hold you down," George finished. Hermione looked up at everyone around the room and saw everyone nodding their agreement to George's words. Hermione gave them a watery smile in return.

"Thanks George. And you guys too," she said with a small smile aimed at the concerned faces around the room. George grinned at her.

"Anything for you."

"George is pretty great with words, huh?" Fred said, smirking at the pair.

"Yeah I'd say he's pretty great," Hermione agreed with a simple smile at George. George feigned disappointment.

"Only great?" he asked, suppressing a grin. Hermione chuckled.

"Oh well then, how about immensely superb in every aspect of life," Hermione tried.

"Yeah I think that should work," he said, releasing his smile. Hermione just rolled her eyes fondly. Fred made a sickened face, but couldn't repress the sparkle in his eyes that came from seeing his brother so happy.

Having reassured Hermione, George and Hermione finished telling Fred what had happened that sent them into the past and then the information Dumbledore shared with them and their resulting decision. Fred looked shocked.

"So we're changing things?" he asked incredulous. George smiled happily.

"Yep!" Fred sat back and thought for a moment and a smile slowly spread across his face.

"That's brilliant!" he exclaimed excitedly. "We can stop Voldemort in his tracks! We can save people. Harry will never have to go to the Dursley's! This calls for a celebration!" Everyone in the room smiled at his excitement. George chuckled.

"Sorry Freddie, but we did that yesterday. Today we were supposed to start training, but you've kind of ruined that, as usual," George ribbed his twin. Fred didn't seem to even notice.

"Train?! Well what have we been sitting around for? Let's get to work! We have evil scrum to get rid of!" Fred exclaimed as he jumped to his feet. George laughed as he stood from his beanbag.

"Always so impatient Gred," he teased. Fred rolled his eyes.

"Tease all you want Feorge as long as you keep moving." George laughed again and helped Hermione to her feet.

"Don't know how I ever got anything done without you around to nag me into it," George commented lightly. Fred grinned at his brother.

"Some things just never change," he told his twin. George smiled and shook his head.

"Someone needs to go get Peter so we can start," Hermione said to the room. Fred's smile immediately fell off his face and he turned to Hermione.

"What? Pettigrew? So we're going to teach him how to kill us, too?" He said viciously. Hermione looked surprised, but before she could respond, George stepped up to his brother.

"It was my idea Fred," he told his brother quietly, but with conviction. Fred looked shocked and then furious.

"Do you want to die? Do you want Pettigrew to be able to get us all? He already knows too much! He could go to Voldemort today and tell him about me coming back from the dead, you lot being from the future, and our plans to off Voldy! He'll put a price on our heads! Then Voldemort will change everything. He'll move his Horcruxes. We'll be back at square one, not knowing anything that's going to happen. Why, the _hell_ are we hinging all of our success on a traitorous little rat?!" Fred exclaimed, his ears red. George just stood there calmly as his brother yelled in his face.

"Because everyone deserves a second chance," he said simply. "If he wants to try to change we should let him." Fred looked shocked for a moment and then his face contorted.

"Shall we give ole Moldy Shorts a second chance too then? Eh? What about Lucious Malfoy? Barty Crouch Junior? Bellatrix-," Fred stopped his sentence at the look of fury that came over his brother's face. It wasn't easy to get George truly angry, but it looked as though Fred had done it.

"Don't talk to me about that psychotic bitch!" he yelled furiously. "She deserves to die just as much as Voldemort does!" Fred looked stunned by his twin's reaction.

"What the hell George?" he asked in confusion. George just shook his head angrily and clenched his jaw. Hermione decided she should step in.

"George is a bit, er, sensitive, about Bellatrix. It's my faul-,"

"Don't you dare say that it was your fault!" George cut off her sentence angrily. "You didn't ask her to- You would never-," George seemed unable to finish a sentence through his intense anger. Hermione smiled sadly at him.

"I only meant that it is because of what she did to me that George is reacting so badly," Hermione explained. George glared at her.

"Oh? How would you prefer me to react? Should I smile and throw a party?" George asked snidely. Hermione looked at him wearily.

"You can stop biting my head off now George. It's getting rather old," Hermione told him. George deflated slightly and looked a bit abashed.

"Sorry Mione," he told her guiltily. Hermione shook her head with a small smile.

"Boys." George smiled at her.

"And yet your best friends have always been boys. Well, besides Ginny, but she grew up with six brothers, two of which are Fred and me. So she's not exactly all that girly." Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Yes well can you blame me with the options I had? Lavender and Parvati were two of the giggliest, gossipiest, girls I've ever met. That's not exactly what I'm into," she explained. George laughed.

"Right. Your style is more solving mysteries, creating illegal DADA groups, and bringing down Lord Voldemort." Hermione looked slightly embarrassed.

"Precisely," she said with a grin. "Why would I want to gossip about who has the best looking arse or spend an hour fixing my hair when I could do all of that other stuff?" George laughed loudly.

"And that's why you're my girlfriend," he said as he slid an arm around her waist, smiling happily. Fred was looking between the pair with raised eyebrows.

"Impressive Granger," he commented. "You managed to get Georgie boy out of a rage like that in a couple minutes. Usually they last _forever_ and we can't get _anything_ done until he calms himself," Fred said with a smirk at his brother. George poked out his tongue in response and Hermione just smiled.

"So what exactly did Bellatrix do to you? That bit seems to have been left out of the story," Fred asked, looking at Hermione curiously. The smile slid off of Hermione's face as she crossed her arms over her middle, immediately looking uncomfortable.

"Umm, well Harry, Ron, and I got caught during the war. Harry said 'Voldemort' and activated the taboo and we had no chance. We were taken to Malfoy Manor and Bellatrix was there," she shuddered involuntarily and George pulled her tighter against his side. "She saw the sword of Gryffindor and freaked out. Apparently there was a copy in her vault at Gringotts with the Horcrux, but they thought it was the real one. So she tortured me and sent Harry and Ron into the cellar.

"She used the Cruciatus Curse over and over until I thought I was going to go insane. Then she pulled out a silver knife and," Hermione stopped and took a deep breath. She pulled out her wand, and said "Finite."

Fred gasped and his eyes went round. George stared hatefully at the scars as though he could make them have never happened if he stared hard enough.

"That bitch!" Fred said, almost in disbelief. "We'll have to kill her. I mean not that we weren't going to before, but definitely now that it's personal. You'll be me right hand man right Georgie?" George grinned at his brother.

"Of course," he told his brother and then turned to Hermione. "Looks like I've found myself that reliable back up!" he told her happily. Hermione just frowned.

"I wish you wouldn't," she told him.

"Ah well," Fred lamented. "If wishes were fishes we'd all be fat and smell bad." Hermione was barely able to hold back her chuckle from his random butchering of a quote.

"Umm I don't think that's how it goes…" she told him. Fred just shrugged and smiled. There were a few moments of silence before Hermione brought them all back on track.

"So, are we getting Peter?" she asked. Fred looked scowled.

"I don't trust him," he said. Hermione sighed.

"I think we should give him a chance," Hermione said. Fred opened his mouth to argue. "Hear me out Fred. If we push him away there is no doubt in my mind that he will go to Voldemort. Then it will be _us_ who did that to him. _We_ will have caused him to throw his life away. If we just give him a chance, if we could show him that there are things worth fighting for, worth dying for, I think we could save him from himself," Hermione explained. Fred frowned and looked lost in thought for a few minutes.

"Fine. But I'm not happy about it and I still don't trust him. And as soon as I get even the slightest hint of Death Eater activity from him I'm offing him myself," Fred said with a facial expression that dared anyone to disagree. Hermione and George nodded in acceptance.

"If he betrays anyone this go around I'll be right there with you Freddie."

* * *

It was some time later that they finally got around to training. Lily and James had been the ones to volunteer to go get Peter and it had taken them an obscenely long time to come back with him.

"What did you guys do? Snog in every broom cupboard along the way?" Sirius complained. Lily flushed in embarrassment whereas James just smirked at his friend.

"Don't be silly Padfoot. We only needed the one," James told his friend with a wink. Sirius barked out a laugh.

"True."

Meanwhile, Peter fidgeted uncomfortably. Fred hadn't stopped glaring at him since he'd walked in the door. Hermione noticed and decided it was time to start.

"Alright, since everyone's here now we should start. It'll be dinner time soon." Everyone nodded in agreement and looked excited.

"So I was thinking we should start with Protego, just to make sure everyone can do it properly and consistently. It is a rather important spell."

"Seriously?" Sirius asked. The rest of the room, save the twins, looked rather disappointed as well. "We're 7th years! Of course we can do shield charms!" Hermione frowned at him.

"It's better to be safe than sorry, especially since in this case sorry means dead. Like I already said, we are going to start with the basics first. So the sooner you prove that you've mastered the basics the sooner we can move on," Hermione said in an authoritative voice that left no room for arguing. Sirius looked disgruntled and James and Remus looked amused that their friend had been shut down so thoroughly.

"Well let's get at it then!" Fred exclaimed. Everyone stood and Fred closed his eyes in thought. When he opened them again they were standing in the familiar room that was once used by Dumbledore's Army to learn how to fight. Tonight it would be put to the same purpose.

"Excellent," Fred and George said in chorus with identical grins. Hermione smiled slightly at them.

"Alright, everyone pair up and let's get started. One person send a mild jinx at the other and the other put up a shield. Then we'll move on to stronger jinxes, then hexes and curses," she commanded. Everyone quickly paired off and began either firing spells or blocking. Everyone's shields held up fine.

"Good,' Hermione complimented them. "Let's move on to hexes."

And so they practiced. They all did well, even Peter, so Hermione had them move on to Expelliarmus. The only ones who had some trouble with this were James and Alice, but they quickly got the hang of it and moved on to stunners.

Nikki was particularly good at them. She managed to knock out Alice every time. Alice was doing fairly well as were Remus, James, and Sirius. Lily and Peter needed some tips and guidance which Hermione struggled to give. It was rather distracting to have Fred and George running around shooting stunners at each other and dodging and rolling to avoid them.

Especially when the dodged stunners would fly over towards her and she'd have to dodge it to avoid being knocked out. It was after one narrowly missed her head that Hermione had had enough. She spun around pointed her wand in between the twins and shouted,

"_Protego_!" The twins were blasted apart by the strength of her shield and landed backwards on their rear ends.

"Hermi-," the twins started to complain, but stopped immediately at the look on her face.

"Could you two pretend to act your age for five minutes so I can help these two?" she snarled through clenched teeth.

"Well sure!" Fred exclaimed.

"Since you asked so nicely," George added with a grin. Hermione glared at them and turned back to Lily and Peter. Lily and Peter had the spell mastered in less than five minutes.

"I suppose it helps the learning process a lot when you don't have idiots bumbling around being obnoxious," Hermione said loudly with a disapproving look towards the twins. They both feigned shock.

"Now Mione that was uncalled for," George pouted. Fred nodded in agreement.

"We're not idiots. We're just so much more advanced than the rest of the students-," Fred added.

"That we get bored,"

"And have to find ways to entertain ourselves," the twins whined. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"You two are incorrigible," she said as she turned and headed for the door to hide her smile. "I'm going to dinner," she announced over her shoulder. George scrambled after her.

"Me too! Me too!" he yelled like an excitable five year old.

"Wait for me Georgie!" Fred yelled before running after them. The trio exited the Room of Requirement and left silence in their wake.

"Well," Remus commented dryly. "I suppose that's their way of telling us that training is over for now." Everyone laughed.

"Those three are something else," Lily commented in amusement as they all headed for the door. "I thought just George and Hermione were a handful, but throw Fred in the mix and I've never seen anything like it."

"Prongs!" Sirius suddenly yelled. "We're going to miss all the food!" Apparently he had just realized the time. James gasped dramatically.

"No! We have to hurry!" he yelled and he and Sirius bolted for the door. They reached it at the same time and had a shove war over who got to leave first. James lost and ended up sprawled on the ground. Sirius darted through the door and sprinted off down the corridor.

"PADFOOT! Padfoot, WAIT FOR ME!" James yelled as he scrambled to his feet and barreled out the doorway. Lily, Remus, Alice, Peter, and Nikki all stood in silence for a moment.

"I think you've just eaten your words Lily dear," Nikki deadpanned. Alice smiled and laughed and began walking to the door.

"We're the only normal ones." Peter lamented, shaking his head.

* * *

After dinner, the group of friends returned to the Room of Requirement with full, happy bellies. The room layout was back to how it had been for their party. Sirius and Peter immediately went to the game area and started up a game of Gobstones. James and Remus started up a game of Wizard's Chess and Fred and George started up a game of Exploding Snap. When the girls entered the room they immediately turned to the sitting area. Hermione stopped in the middle looking torn. She wanted to get to know the girls, but she also really enjoyed spending time with Fred and George.

"C'mon Hermione," Alice called after her. "You can sit with your boyfriend when he isn't covered in ash." Hermione smiled at the invitation and turned to look at George. He was indeed covered in ash and had a slightly surprised expression on his face as Fred laughed hysterically. Hermione giggled and turned walking back to the girls.

Hermione made herself comfortable in the circle of girls. They were giggly, but not in the air headed way that Lavender and Parvati were. They were fun. Soon the girls were all laughing and telling stories.

"So-so then," Nikki choked out through her hysterical laughter, "The prat tells me, he tells me that he _wasn't _snogging Rachel in the broom closet! Sweet Merlin I walked in on them! He-he told me she had something stuck in her tee-teeth and that he had to get it out, but she didn't want his fingers in her mouth! So _obviously_ he _had_ to use his tongue!" The girls all shrieked in laughter and Nikki succumbed to her laughter for a few moments before gathering her composure enough to finish.

"So I told him, Richard, I believe you, and then left them at it as I went back to Gryffindor tower. The n-n-next day," Nikki had to stop here for a moment as she almost lost it again, "I hexed him so that anytime he opened his mouth he would drool _everywhere._ He couldn't eat, talk, or especially snog anyone for the whole day. I also broke up with him in front of everyone in the Great Hall. I said something about him just not being attractive enough to satisfy me. He opened his mouth to yell at me, I'm sure, but a-a-all that came out was a f-fountain of drool! I laughed so hard."

The girls were all laughing hysterically. They were clutching their sides and had tears running down their pink cheeks. Alice was doubled over and Lily was clinging to her in an effort to keep herself up right. Nikki, having finally gotten through the story had given in to the hilarity and had tears pouring down her face and was starting to hiccup slightly from the laughter. Hermione couldn't breathe. She was clutching her sides and expelling more air than she was bringing in. Her sides ached and she had tears streaming down her face, but try as she might she couldn't get herself under control.

It seemed every time they would stop laughing and begin sucking in deep breaths someone else would start giggling again and set off the whole group once more. After a few minutes of this, the boys began to get curious. What was going on over there? Fred and George finally couldn't take not knowing anymore and jumped to their feet, closely followed by James and Sirius. Remus and Peter traded glances and then hurried off after their friends. When they reached the other side of the room they were taken aback by what they saw. Sure, they had seen the girls laugh and be merry before, but never like _this_.

"What the-?" James asked. Sirius looked amused, but also slightly disappointed that he wasn't in on the joke. George just laughed.

"Well what have we here?" George asked. Hermione glanced up at her boyfriend and tried to explain.

"N-N-Nikki… B-boyfriend… Caught… D-D-Drool!" was all she managed, before sending all four back into a raging fit of laughter. Surprisingly, this little bit of information was enough to send all four of the Marauders into roars of laughter also. Fred and George exchanged glances feeling a bit out of the loop.

George smiled widely as he turned back to the group. He had never seen Hermione like this before and he rather liked it. She looked beautiful with her cheeks flushed, her hair wild, a grin splitting her face in two, and positively shaking with laughter.

"Oh, Oh, It hurts," Hermione moaned through her laughter, clutching her splitting sides. Alice nodded her agreement, but was in the silent, unbreathing stage of laughter so she couldn't respond verbally. Nikki was hiccupping worse than ever. Lily had her face in her hands and was breathing in short shallow gasps as she tried to control herself.

"Hee Whoo, Hee Whoo, Hee Whoo."

"Lily you sound like you're in labor," Sirius teased her. This set the already struggling girls off into fresh peals of laughter. It was several minutes before they got themselves under control. In that time Remus took pity on the twins and filled them in on the events that the girls found so hysterical.

"Genius!" George laughed. Fred looked impressed and laughed as well.

"That must have been some sweet revenge," Fred commented with a grin. "No girl is going to want to snog some guy they just watched drool all day.

"Oh they didn't!" Sirius cackled. "He was black listed for the rest of the year! The best part was that afterward he tried to go crawling back to Nikki when he realized that he wasn't getting any anymore. She slapped him and told him that she'd snog her boggart before she'd go anywhere near him." All of the Marauder's cracked up at this as they remembered. Fred and George chuckled along as well.

"What's her boggart?" Fred asked curiously. Sirius glanced back at the Marauders who all shrugged.

"Umm I'm not sure… I don't think we've ever seen it," Sirius responded with a careless shrug. Fred frowned. He wasn't sure what it was about Nikki, but she had him incredibly curious.

* * *

From that point on, the group of friends talked and told stories together. Since the Marauders and the Weasley twins were all included in the group there were some crazy, hysterically funny stories to be told. The group laughed until they were in stitches.

"Merlin! I feel like I've lost 20 pounds from all this laughing!" Alice exclaimed, rubbing her sides. The girls all nodded their agreement.

"I can't remember the last time I've laughed this much or this hard," Hermione stated in wonderment. "I honestly can't. It'd have to have been sometime before Voldemort returned-,"

"No Hermione," George interrupted her, being unusually serious. "We're not going to think about the war tonight. We're going to have fun and leave tomorrow's worries for tomorrow," George declared. Hermione nodded.

"'Ear, 'ear!" Fred chimed in. George smirked at his twin before turning back to Hermione.

"His Holiness requests a dance from the fair maiden Lady Hermione," George announced, standing from his beanbag and holding his hand formally to Hermione in her armchair. Hermione smiled brilliantly at her boyfriend.

"Lady Hermione gladly accepts His Holiness's invitation," she responded regally as she took his hand and lifted herself gracefully from her chair. George grinned as he took her hand and tucked it into the crook of his arm. As they exited their circle of friends George flashed a discrete wink at Fred and darted his eyes quickly to Nikki and back again and raised his eyebrows. Fred scowled in response and gave the barest shake of his head. This interaction took no more than a second and a half, leaving the majority of the room unaware that there had even been a conversation.

George ignored Fred's refusal and lead Hermione out to the dance floor. Hermione flicked her wand at the wireless and a fast, happy tune poured out of the radio. Hermione moved away from George to dance in time to the music, but George grabbed her waist and pulled her back against him in a slow dance. Hermione laughed happily at her boyfriend's antics as they slowly revolved on the spot, completely ignoring the fast pace of the song that was playing.

"So, what's the real purpose of you dragging me out here?" Hermione asked George, her eyes sparkling with her hidden knowledge. George gasped in shock dramatically.

"What? Lady Hermione I am wounded! I have no intentions but to dance with the loveliest lady in the room!" he exclaimed. Hermione just laughed.

"You don't give me enough credit if you think I missed that little conversation between you and Fred a minute ago," she told him, staring at him knowingly. George grinned mischievously, dropping his act.

"Caught that did you?" Hermione just rolled her eyes.

"Does Fred have a thing for Nikki?" she asked bluntly. George laughed happily.

"I think he might, but he doesn't know it yet. He's managed to convince himself that he's just very curious about her," George told her with a wide grin. Hermione smiled.

"When did you find the time to talk to him about this?" she asked curiously. George looked confused.

"I didn't need to talk to him about it," he told her. Hermione looked faintly surprised.

"You mean you could tell all of that just by watching him?" she incredulously. George shrugged.

"Well… Yeah." Hermione smiled at him.

"You two are really special you know that? I only wish I could have that kind of connection with someone someday," she told him wistfully. George grinned at her, but tried to turn it into a sort of searching look

"But I'm the specialer one right?" he asked her. Hermione avoided his gaze by looking over his shoulder.

"Specialer isn't a word George," she said, avoiding the question. She was barely able to keep her grin off her face. George rolled his eyes.

"Fine. I'm more special though right?" George persisted. Hermione still avoided his eyes and fought back her smile.

"Hmmm," she said noncommittally. George's jaw dropped.

"W-Wh-," He stammered.

"Oh! Fred wants me for something!" Hermione suddenly announced before darting off. George froze mid dance, jaw hanging open in shock at his suddenly empty arms. Hermione stifled her giggle as she half ran across the room. She grabbed Fred's arm and attempted to haul him to his feet, interrupting his conversation with Sirius.

"What?" Fred asked, irritated as he stayed firmly in place. Hermione rolled her eyes in exasperation and blew a stray lock of hair out of her face.

"Just trust me," she hissed quickly. Fred narrowed his eyes at her and stayed where he was. "It's joke on George." Fred entire demeanor changed. He jumped to his feet and linked his arm through hers.

"Well why didn't you say so?" he exclaimed happily.

"Shh!" Hermione hissed. "You'll give us away you oaf!" Fred rolled his eyes. "Now lead me to the dance floor," Hermione demanded. Fred rolled his eyes again.

"Yes your highness," Fred said sarcastically. Hermione ignored him and plastered smile to her face. Fred and Hermione arrived on the dance floor as George turned and saw them. Hermione almost lost it as she watched his face change from surprised to confused to angry. The song was now a slow one so Fred placed his hands on Hermione's waist and she wrapped hers around his neck and they began slowly revolving on the spot.

"So what was it that you wanted to talk to me about, Fred?" Hermione asked, looking up through her eyelashes. She spoke quietly, but still loud enough for George to overhear. Fred raised his eyebrows slightly as he realized the plan, but kept all other signs of surprise off his face.

"Well, you see Mione," he began just as quietly, "I've been thinking since I got back and I think I like y-,"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" George finally exclaimed as he stalked towards them and ripped Fred's hands away from her. "What the HELL Fred? You're back for half a day and you're already trying to steal my girlfriend?!" George glared at his brother. He could feel the back of his neck burning and his ears beginning to redden in anger as well. Fred held up his hands in a sign of surrender.

"Whoa there mate. Girlfriend? No one said anything was official-,"

"YOU BLOODY WELL KNOW-," George was cut off by Hermione's quiet giggle. He froze mid rant and slowly turned to look at his girlfriend. Hermione's cheeks were slightly pink from restraining her giggles and had slapped a hand over her mouth after the one had escaped.

"You," George whispered loudly. "You did this on purpose." It was a statement, not a question. Hermione's eyes widened and she shook her head frantically.

"No. No I-," she started desperately. George began slowly approaching her and she skittered back.

"You did!" George exclaimed, a wild look in his eyes. "You know what this means," he said threateningly.

"No! No please," Hermione begged. "Not that!" George shook his head.

"You've given me no choice," he said. Then without warning he dove at Hermione. Hermione let out a squeal as he began to tickle her sides.

"No! Stop! Please!" she yelled before she was able to twist away. She sprinted across the room and George immediately gave chase.

"Get back here you minx!" he yelled even though she was only a few paces ahead.

"I'll never stop fighting!" Hermione exclaimed as she weaved through furniture in the game area. She thought hard and then smiled in satisfaction when she heard a loud "Oof" from behind her. A large couch had just appeared out of nowhere behind Hermione and George didn't have a chance to react before he plowed into it. Hermione cackled and changed course, back towards the sitting area where many heads were turned, watching them in amusement.

"Oh don't mind me," Fred said with a scowl. "I don't mind being used and abandoned." Hermione flashed him a grin as she raced by.

"Perfect!" she told him as she used an arm to vault herself over the back of an empty loveseat. She made it halfway over before an arm encircled her waist and brought her crashing down onto the seat cushions. The air whooshed out of her lungs and she blinked in surprise to see George's sparkling blue eyes above her. Before she could so much as twitch a muscle he had launched himself over the back of the sofa and landed on her, straddling her thighs. He didn't waste a moment before tickling her mercilessly. Hermione shrieked in laughter.

"Stop! Stop! Please!" she cried out through the laughter.

"Not until you learn your lesson! Never turn the Weasley twins against one another!" he demanded. Hermione wriggled and squirmed beneath him, trying to escape.

"Okay! I'm s-sorry! Please!" Hermione begged. George apparently didn't think this was good enough. Hermione hooted with laughter and tears began forming in her eyes.

"You have to swear to never do it again!"

"I sw-swear!" Hermione choked out.

"You swear on your appallingly dog eared copy of A History of Magic?" George necessitated. Hermione nodded.

"I swear on A History of Magic!"

"Now you have to say that I'm the specialer twin!" he commanded.

"You're more special! Please!" Hermione begged. George shook his head with a grin.

"No, specialer," he insisted. Hermione would have laughed at him had she not already been splitting at the seams.

"You're specialer than Fred!" Hermione yelled desperately.

"Good," George said as he finally stilled his fingers, "Let's keep it that way." He shot her a cocky grin and moved in to kiss her. He touched his lips to hers for the barest of moments before with a huge heave Hermione managed to thrust him to the floor using her body. George hit the floor with a loud thud.

"Hey!" he yelled as he glared up at her. Hermione turned on her side and smirked down at him.

"What are you going to do about it Weasley?" she taunted. George grinned mischievously and started to sit up from the floor.

"I can think up a few things," he told her with a wink. Hermione grinned.

"Well you'll have to catch me first," she dared and flipped herself back over the couch and sprinted out the door. George laughed happily and gave chase. There were a few moments of silence after their departure.

"Have they been like that the whole time they've been here?" Fred asked the room as he resumed his seat. "That-, that-," he couldn't quite think up the right word.

"Sickening?" Nikki supplied.

"Adorable?" Alice quipped.

"Entertaining?" Lily added.

"Revolting?" Peter asked.

"Dramatic?" Remus inserted.

"Ridiculous?" James questioned.

"Sexy?" Sirius said. Fred turned to Sirius with a disgusted look on his face.

"I hope to Merlin that you were only referring to Hermione with that comment and _not_ my brother." Sirius looked surprised for a moment and then seemed to review the conversation in his head. His face took on an equally disgusted look.

"No! Just Hermione!" he quickly clarified.

"Good," Fred told him. "And back off Hermione, she's taken," he added, shooting his friend's future Godfather a glare.

"Just looking," Sirius grumbled to himself. Fred ignored him.

"But really. Are they always like that?" he asked the rest of the room. They all nodded in response.

"Have been since they got here," Nikki told him. "Gets pretty nauseating at times," she said with a grimace. Fred grinned at her and Lily rolled her eyes.

"I think they're cute. Their first day here I knew they would get together. Then they had a massive snowball fight that half the school watched. After that they snuck off to Hogsmead for the day and did who knows what. Then there was the pillow fight. And sometime later they ended up getting together," Lily explained.

"Weird," Fred commented, still looking slightly confused. "How did any of that even happen? Hermione's always been a stickler for rules and always yelled at us for our pranks and testing our products on students-," Lily cut him off.

"YOU TESTED ON STU-," Fred cut her off with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"Sooo not the point of the story," he said. Lily seethed silently as he continued. "Anyway, that's how it's always been. We're the troublemakers and she's the one yelling at us and trying to catch us." Alice sat in thought for a little bit.

"Well maybe what happened is that Hermione lightened up after the war and getting out of school. Then George kind of mellowed with you being, well dead and all, and now they're perfect for each other!" she exclaimed happily. Nikki made a face at Alice's cheesiness and Lily smiled at her diverse friends. Fred sat for a moment in thought then slowly began nodding his head.

"Okay, I suppose that makes sense," he agreed. "Who really cares though? Let's do something fun!" he demanded suddenly. The girls looked slightly taken aback whereas the boys all jumped to their feet and looked excited.

"What should we do?" Peter asked excitedly. Fred looked torn for a moment as he looked at Peter. Peter had just enough time to start looking nervous before Fred's demeanor instantly went back to happy and carefree.

"Let's play a game!" he decided, looking mischievous.

"Okay!" James immediately agreed. "Which one?" he asked as he turned towards the game area.

"Oh no, not one of those games," Fred said as his grin widened. "We're going to play Truth or Dare." His announcement was met with far less enthusiasm than what he had expected.

"But we just played that the other night," Lily complained.

"What?" Fred exclaimed. "You did the party without me and played Truth or Dare!" Nikki rolled her eyes.

"Well it's not exactly like we were expecting you to return from the dead," she told him. Fred stuck his tongue out at her and won himself a small smile in return. For some reason that small smile made him feel even more giddy to play the game.

"Detail, details," he said waving his hand. "I say we play again anyway. It'll be fun!" The teens around the room traded glances.

"Why not?" Remus finally said. "Peter never had to do anything anyway, so this will give him a second chance at embarrassment," Remus flashed a playful grin at his friend who responded by sticking his tongue out at him.

"Brilliant!" Fred exclaimed as he rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "I'll just fetch the lovebirds then shall I?" he said before jogging off towards the door.

"Hey Georgie boy!" he called as he pulled the door open. "We're going to-, ARRRGGG! Get a room would you two!"

"We tried, but you came marching in with your ugly mug," they heard George's voice bite back.

"This isn't a room! It's the bleeding corridor!" Fred yelled back.

"Brilliant observation Freddie," George's voice said dryly. "Now either tell me what you want or go away so I can keep snogging my-,"

"We're playing Truth or Dare," Fred's voice interrupted. Hermione's loud groan suddenly entered the conversation.

"Again? We just played the other night!" she complained.

"Cheer up, Mione!" George told her, suddenly sounding much happier. "It'll be fun." Hermione grumbled something that the people listening in the room couldn't quite laugh, but made George burst out in laughter.

"Be that as it may, we owe our relationship to this game! It's all thanks to this game that we even got together, remember?" he reminded her with a grin as they reentered the room, led by a slightly exasperated looking Fred. Hermione blushed brilliantly and chose to say nothing. George just chuckled happily and draped his arm around his girlfriend's waist.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Fred twisted around and asked his twin. George grinned widely at him and launched into the story. When he finished Fred turned to Lily.

"How come that wasn't included in your play by play of their developing relationship?" he asked incredulously. Lily just shrugged.

"Forgot," she said simply. Fred shook his head.

"Women," he muttered. Four sets of eyes did their best to cause him to spontaneously combust before he changed the subject.

"So who wants to start?"

**AN: First off, I'm terribly sorry about the wait for this chapter! I got uninspired for a while and tried to force myself to write, but then hated everything I wrote. Hopefully I've gotten myself back in the grove now. Tell me what you think!**


	11. Ch 11: Bimbos, Raspberries, & Hairy Legs

**DISCLAIMER: I am NOT J.K. Rowling! It should be painfully obvious...**

**Previously...**

_(Fred asking Lily about George and Hermione's first kiss) "How come that wasn't included in your play by play of their developing relationship?" he asked incredulously. Lily just shrugged._

"_Forgot," she said simply. Fred shook his head._

"_Women," he muttered. Four sets of eyes did their best to cause him to spontaneously combust before he changed the subject._

"_So who wants to start?"_

**Chapter 11: Raspberries and Hairy Legs**

The teens settled themselves in their usual places around the room; Hermione, of course, in George's lap. Sirius had, once again, volunteered to start.

"George," he called with a mischievous smile in place, "Truth or Dare?" George, not being surprised in the least that he had been Sirius's target, had a challenging glint in his eyes and a slight quirk to his lips; as though he found the Marauder's attempt at revenge amusing.

"Dare," he said quietly, but with a confidence that caused Sirius to pause slightly as though rethinking what he was about to do; Although not enough to stop him.

"I dare you to prank Dumbledore," Sirius told him with a victorious smirk. The room went deathly silent, save for a few gasps from Alice and Lily. George broke the silence with a loud laugh. He and Fred exchanged smirks.

"That's all you've got? No problem," George told him with his smirk still on his face. Sirius looked slightly surprised. It wasn't everyday that you dared someone to prank the headmaster and get laughed at in return for such a lame dare. Hermione turned around to look at George with wide anxious eyes.

"George, I don't think-," she started.

"Mione darling don't worry. Dumbledore loves us! He won't mind," George reassured her, giving her hand a squeeze. Hermione looked less than pacified.

"In our time maybe, but here..." she tried to explain, but George laughed across the end of her sentence; not in a mean way, but just because he thought she was being funny.

"Here's a secret you don't know," George stage whispered to his girlfriend. "Dumbledore loves pranks. He won't mind a bit being the butt of a joke." Hermione raised her eyebrows skeptically.

"But he's the Headmast-," she was interrupted by her boyfriend yet again.

"Why else do you think he kept the Marauders' bonbons?" George prompted. Hermione furrowed her brow in thought.

"He said they were an impressive bit of magic," she reminded him. George rolled his eyes.

"Yes, meaning he liked them, meaning he likes pranks," George said as though explaining to a toddler that dog biscuits are only for dogs. Hermione scowled at him for his tone and opened her mouth to reprimand him.

"He kept our bonbons?" James interjected, surprise lacing his tone. "Our _Exploding_ Bonbons?" George grinned wickedly.

"Yeah, didn't you know? They're amazing they are! I was thinking Fred and I might like to have them in our shop, once we open a new one. Would you mind?" George asked, nearly bouncing in his seat in excitement. James looked amazed and glanced around at the other Marauders to see them looking just as stunned. They'd invented them as a bit of a joke, they didn't really think of them as a marketable product.

"Well... I guess... I mean if you think people will actually want to buy them," James answered hesitantly after a few beats in which he thought. George's grin widened and his eyes sparkled with happiness.

"Of course people will! Like I said before, they're-"

"Would someone mind filling me in on what exactly _we_ will be selling in _our_ shop?" Fred interrupted, sounding irritated, but the happy glint in his eye giving away his true disposition. George turned excitedly to his twin. The only thing stopping him from bouncing in his seat with excitement was Hermione in his lap.

"Oh Freddie you'll love them! They're brilliant! They're chocolate bonbons, and just by looking at them or touching them you can't tell a thing is wrong, but really, as soon as you touch them they activate and you have about 5 seconds before they explode chocolate everywhere. And apparently, there are some that don't have the 5 second leeway and just explode as soon as they're touched, to keep you on your toes. They even taste good. According to Dumbledore they are a, what did he say? Oh yeah_, quite literally an explosion of chocolate for your taste buds and quite delicious_," George finished in a goofy voice that was apparently his imitation of the Headmaster. Fred laughed gleefully after the explanation.

"Brilliant! I can't wait to try those out. Why didn't we think of that Georgie? We're supposed to be brilliant inventors!" Fred exclaimed happily.

"I know Freddie, I know. I've been kicking myself figuratively ever since I found out! Such a drastic oversight!" George exclaimed dramatically.

"Figuratively? You should have been literally kicking yourself!" Fred scolded his brother. George scowled.

"Well I don't see you kicking yourself. It's half your fault," George reminded him.

"Hmmm, good point," Fred responded, looking thoughtful. "How about we just kick each other then. That way we won't hold back and then the memory of this night will keep us form such oversights in the future," he suggested. George nodded, the mirror image of Fred when he had been looking thoughtful.

"Yeah. That should do it. Good plan Gred."

"That's why I'm the smarter twin Feorge. Honestly, I don't know how you got by without me," he told his twin with a smirk. George laughed.

"Me either. Let's get on with this then," he said with a sigh as he tried to shift Hermione from his lap.

"Honestly! You two are ridiculous!" Hermione finally burst out. "There is no reason to kick each other! You're not 7 year olds. You're 19 for Godric's sake!" Fred and George laughed.

"I really thought for a second there that you were going to let us beat each other up Mione," George said through his laughter. Hermione scowled.

"Yeah, you know we only have these conversations for all of your benefit," Fred added in. "We have our-,"

"Twin telepathy, so we-,"

"Don't really need to talk aloud,"

"We can just converse silently. Like this," Fred and George halted their twin speak and stared each other in the eyes and started making the most ridiculous faces at each other. The room was silent for a few shocked moments as they all stared at the twins, some in fascination, some in amusement, and one in horror. Then they all burst out laughing, save Hermione.

"Oh dear Merlin I'm dating a seven year old," Hermione moaned. George halted in the middle of making a face that reminded Hermione of a pirate.

"Hey! I-,"

"Please, who is next?" Hermione begged, ignoring her boyfriend. Peter silently raised his hand. "Please save our sanity and go," Hermione pleaded. Peter's face cracked into a small smile as both twins shouted "Hey!"

"Alright, I choose... Alice," Peter announced.

"Hmmm, I'm feeling daring tonight," Alice said with a small grin. Peter grinned in response.

"Perfect. I can use the dare I wanted to use on Moony the other night. I dare you to say 'in bed' after every sentence you say for the rest of the night," Peter said looking smug. The rest of the room looked a bit confused at the odd dare, but made no comment. Alice just shrugged.

"Alright," she said, and then after a beat added, "In bed." Peter just grinned. "Ok, I choose James... in bed." Peter snickered and Sirius began to grin, catching on to where the dare was going. "Truth or Dare in bed?"

James grinned cockily. "Dare." Alice rolled her eyes at his predictability.

"I dare you to swap clothes with Lily... in bed," Alice said with a blush. The males of the room howled with laughter.

"Hear that Jamsie boy?" Sirius shouted as he elbowed his best mate in the ribs. "You and Lily flower get to swap clothes in bed!" Sirius roared with laughter James went slightly pink in the cheeks as he chuckled along, glancing sideways as his girlfriend to see how she was taking it. Lily just rolled her eyes.

"The 'in bed' part isn't really included in the dare," she informed them. Two screens appeared in separate corners of the room. "Go change behind that screen and I'll change behind the other and when you've got your clothes off send them over to me and I'll do the same," Lily ordered. James jumped to his feet.

"Yes ma'am!" he all but shouted before sprinting off to his screen. Lily rolled her eyes again and stood much more slowly then walked calmly to her screen. Suddenly a wad of clothing flew from behind James's screen and landed in Lily's arms.

"Eew James! Keep your boxers! I'm not wearing those!" Lily shrieked before banishing them back to her boyfriend.

"Aww but Lily! I was really looking forward to sitting around in your bra and panties for the rest of the night!" James's disembodied voice came from behind the screen. Lily flushed a deep red.

"I will be keeping possession of my under garments thank you!" she said in a voice that was slightly higher in pitch than usual.

James just laughed. Lily quickly changed behind her screen and sent her clothes to James. Lily appeared first, looking only slightly odd in her rolled up and saggy muggle jeans and over large sweater with rolled up sleeves. Then James appeared and not even Lily could keep from dissolving into laughter. James was looking extremely uncomfortable in a very tight and too short pink t-shirt and a skirt that on Lily hit just above the knees, but on him stopped only mid thigh, his hairy legs protruding out the bottom. His pink face completed the picture.

Sirius was positively rolling and Peter had tears running down is face as Remus pounded the armrest of his chair as he laughed hysterically.

"Oh shove off," James mumbled as resumed his seat on the couch in between his girlfriend and Sirius. Sirius suddenly stood from the couch and approached Alice holding up his hand.

"Brilliant, just brilliant," he complimented her through his laughter. Alice grinned through her tears of mirth and slapped a high five on his hand.

"Yeah I'm pretty amazing," she told him. The room ceased laughing and seemed to be holding its breath in anticipation. "In bed," Alice finished reluctantly, her cheeks pink. Laughter roared through out the room once again. This was shaping up to be a brilliant game. Several minutes later the group regained enough control to continue.

"Alright," Nikki said, wiping tears from her eyes. "Peter, Truth or Dare?" Peter paused in thought. His friends would expect him to be like them and pick dare, but he was trying to be his own person so should he pick truth? Or would that still be letting his friends make his decisions for him? What did he want?

"Dare," he said hesitantly. Nikki grinned wickedly.

"I dare you to give Fred a raspberry on his stomach," Nikki said without so much as a glance at Fred. The room went deathly quiet as Peter went pale.

"WHAT?!" Fred shrieked, his ears being to turn red and his jaw hanging open.

"You heard me," Nikki said, as she turned to Fred, a smirk on her lips, spark in her eyes, and a challenge breaking through in her voice. Fred gawked at this girl. Surely she had to be one of a kind. George suddenly burst out laughing.

"Met your match have you Freddie?" he teased. Fred gasped looking insulted.

"Never! Pettigrew get over here and do your worst," he demanded as he flopped himself on the floor on his back and hiked up his shirt to reveal some nicely sculpted abs. Nikki's eyebrows rose in surprise and Peter stuttered and choked as he made his way over to the red head.

"Like what you see?" Fred winked at Nikki. She lifted one eyebrow coolly and refrained from answering. Meanwhile, Peter kneeled next to Fred's midsection on the floor. He stopped as though hoping someone would call off the dare. Instead Fred spoke.

"Well? Get on with it! I don't fancy being down here all night!" Peter flushed even darker and blew a quick raspberry to the left of Fred's belly button and then scurried off back to his seat looking mortified. The room rang with laughter, Fred and Peter being the only exceptions. Fred wiped off his midriff looking repulsed while Peter looked as though he was trying to disappear into his armchair. George was laughing so hard he was sliding off his beanbag, taking a laughing Hermione with him.

"Oh shut it you babbling, bumbling baboon," Fred grumbled as he returned to his seat. This only caused George to laugh harder, resulting in Fred shoving him off the beanbag entirely, taking down Hermione by association. Hermione shrieked and rolled off of George.

"Oy! That was my girlfriend you buffoon," George yelled as he righted himself and helped Hermione back into his lap. Fred smirked.

"You had it coming, Barf-breath."

"No I didn't, Blubber-butt."

"Did so, Buffalo-banger."

"Butthole."

"Bubble-brain."

"Bimbo."

"Bimbo? Really? You're losing it Georgie," Fred smirked and shook his head.

"Oh yeah? How about-,"

"ENOUGH!" Hermione finally screeched. "You two can prove to each other how immature you both are later in your dorm. Right now everyone is waiting for you to take your turn Fred." Fred and George looked around the room and sure enough everyone was staring at them with expressions ranging from amusement (James, Sirius, and Peter), to exasperation (Remus and Lily), to incredulity mixed with amusement (Alice and Nikki), to flat out irritation (Hermione of course).

"My turn already?" Fred asked innocently. "Well why didn't someone say so?" He flashed a grin at Hermione. It faltered slightly when she glared steadily back so he continued.

"Anyway! Nikki, Truth or Dare?" he asked, an evil smile stretching his lips. Nikki knew revenge was coming and decided to play it safe.

"Truth," she told him, glaring. Fred's grin widened.

"I was hoping you'd say that." Fear flashed through Nikki, but she quickly tamped it down and ignored it. She sat straighter in her seat and raised an eyebrow at Fred as though to say "Well?"

"What is your boggart and why?" Fred asked, trying not to look too eager. George sent him a look and he knew that his eagerness had been picked up by him. Alice and Lily froze and stared wide eyed at Nikki, wondering what she would do. Nikki stiffened and cursed herself for not picking dare. She almost immediately relaxed her posture again, but not before Fred noticed. He narrowed his eyes slightly at this response. The hesitant and slightly fearful look on her face almost made him revoke the question. Almost. His intense curiosity quickly overtook that moment of sympathy and he sat and waited quietly for her answer.

Nikki was silent for a long time, weighing her options. The whole truth was out of the question, but could she refuse to answer anything or maybe just leave? She made up her mind and raised her gaze to look directly into Fred's eyes.

"My boggart is my mother," she said quietly, but with a fiercely challenging undertone. Fred was gob smacked. Never had he imagined that would be the answer he received. The rest of the room looked more or less the same. Even Lily and Alice, who had known the answer and reasoning, looked surprised, but because she even answered, not because of the answer itself.

"Why?" Fred breathed. Nikki's eyes narrowed into a fierce glare that sent a chill down Fred's spine.

"You only get one question and it's none of your damn business anyway," she all but growled. Fred's eyes widened and then he had the courtesy to look down, slightly ashamed. The room was awkwardly silent for a few moments before Hermione filled the stillness.

"Erm, right. It's my turn now. So umm, Fred, I dare you to-,"

"Hey! You didn't let me pick!" Fred pouted. Hermione rolled her eyes, but the corner of her mouth twitched in a grin.

"And what would you have picked Fred?" she asked in a falsely exasperated tone. Fred shrugged.

"Dare," he told her. Hermione sighed.

"So I repeat, I dare you to go give Nikki a hug and apologize for asking such an insensitive question," Hermione told him, trying her best to hold back her satisfied smirk as his jaw dropped.

"You've got to be joking! What are you, my mother?" Fred asked in amazement. Hermione did smirk at this point.

"Actually, I'm neither. Your mother would have slapped you upside the head before the last word could leave your lips and sent you off to bed without supper," Hermione said matter of factly. Fred opened his mouth to argue, but then snapped it shut again.

"Fine," he said instead, before getting to his feet. He stepped in front of Nikki, who was sitting on one half of the love seat she shared with Alice, and dropped to one knee. Hermione and Nikki both immediately rolled their eyes. Of course Fred Weasley couldn't do anything without his usual dramatics.

"Nikki darling. Oh Nikki with your fair skin and shiny black hair and avocado green eyes that so often look at me with disdain. Like right now." Nikki couldn't help the slight grin that twitched the corner of her lips. "Nikki with your untrusting disposition, sharp wit, and sarcastic tendencies, I am deeply sorry from the very depths of my heart. You cannot imagine how I am kicking myself internally for my unclothe mouth and ignorant and yes, insensitive question. I am sorry for letting my curiosity control my mouth and override my manners. Can you ever forgive me?" Fred asked beseechingly. Nikki raised her eyebrows and allowed a smirk to cross her face.

"We'll see," she said simply. Fred shrugged and stood from his position on the floor, dusting off his jeans.

"Well I tried," he said as he turned back to his seat.

"Hem, hem." Fred jumped about a mile and spun towards the door. Hermione and George laughed and the rest of the room looked confused.

"Bloody hell, Hermione," Fred said as he ran a hand through his hair. "You sounded just like her. Bout gave me a bloody heart attack. I've had enough Umbridge to last me several lifetimes thank you." The rest of the room caught on to what they were talking about and some chuckles were heard. Hermione just smiled innocently.

"Don't know what you could possibly be talking about. You didn't complete your dare," she told him. Fred looked confused.

"But I-, Oh. But she _hates_ me," he whined, giving Hermione his best puppy dog eyes. Nikki rolled her eyes.

"I don't hate you, you prat," she told him. Fred turned back to her with wide hopeful eyes.

"You don't?"

"I don't"

"Excellent! I hate being hated by people I don't already hate," Fred said with a smile. Nikki smiled slightly in return, but still rolled her eyes before holding out her arms.

"Better finish up your dare before Hermione here sends you to bed without supper," Nikki said with a wink at Hermione who smiled in return. Fred laughed before bounding over and wrapping her petite frame in a tight hug.

"Right you are," he said happily before he ended the hug. He stopped with his face inches from hers and whispered for her ears only, "One of these days you will trust me enough to tell me why." Nikki's eyes widened and she felt heat enter her cheeks, although she couldn't imagine why. Fred just winked and went back to his beanbag. George sent his twin a questioning look, but Fred smiled and said nothing.

"Your turn George," Hermione said, breaking off the one sided conversation between the twins. George sent one last look at Fred before turning back to the group.

"Finally," he complained. "Sirius truth or dare?" he asked, grinning wickedly. Sirius's eyes widened slightly seeing the expression on George's face. He knew revenge was coming and he knew it was coming regardless of what he chose. So he chose the Gryffindor option.

"Dare." George chuckled in a most sinister way.

"I'm going to give you a choice here. You can either hug Snape and kiss his cheek or do the same for your mother," he said, his eyes glinting darkly. Sirius went pale and his mouth dropped open.

"Wh-Wh-, You cannot be serious?" he said. George laughed humorlessly.

"Of course not! You're Sirius! And you Sirius, get to pick. Your delightful mum or Snivillus," George told him in a strange, quiet voice Hermione had never heard from him before. Even Fred looked a bit surprised at how his twin was behaving.

"I-I-," Sirius stuttered, looking completely aghast. George smirked, victory was near.

"I could give you another option if you don't like the sound of those two," he said in that quiet, cold voice. Sirius looked apprehensive. So far his options hadn't been all that great.

"You can back off of Hermione. Stop hitting on her. Stop looking at her like she's just good for a romp. Stop talking to her like you're trying to get her in bed with you. And stop trying to trick her into doing things with you," George snarled. The entire room looked shocked. Hermione was speechless and Sirius's jaw had dropped.

"That's what this is-," Sirius started, sounding aghast.

"Pick," George interrupted sharply. Sirius's eyes flicked from George to Hermione and then back.

"I'll back off," he said. George seemed to scrutinize him for a moment as though trying to detect any form of untruthfulness.

"Alright," George said nodding. He gently lifted Hermione from his lap so he could stand.

"George-," Hermione asked, sounding nervous. George just shook his head slightly.

"It's alright." He stood from his seat and approached Sirius. Sirius looked incredibly nervous. George reached Sirius and stuck out his hand.

"Friends?" he asked. Sirius looked immensely relieved and grinned.

"Why not?" he said as he grasped George's hand and gave it a shake. George grinned back as he dropped Sirius's hand.

"Now there won't be any hard feelings when Fred and I kick your arses in a prank war," George taunted. Sirius laughed.

"You're on! You won't be sounding so cocky after the Marauders have their say," Sirius goaded. George's grin widened.

"We'll just have to wait and see about that," he said before returning to his seat. Hermione was standing there with an odd look on her face. She wasn't sure whether to be flattered that George was being so protective of her or irritated. All the same she supposed she wouldn't have to worry about Sirius hitting on her anymore. She looked up to see that George was standing in front of her giving her a quizzical look. She shrugged her shoulders slightly, unsure of what to say. George grinned at her response, knowing he wasn't in trouble.

"It's okay to admit you like being looked after Mione," he teased her. Hermione rolled her eyes, but couldn't stop a smile from forming on her lips.

"Well I'll admit that it's better than dealing with Ron's jealousy issues." George laughed.

"Oh I bet," he said before kissing her cheek and sitting down with her.

"My turn," Remus announced into the silent room. "Hermione, truth or dare?"

"Truth!" Hermione said immediately. George chuckled at her and Remus smiled.

"Alright. Have you ever had a crush on a teacher and who?" Hermione immediately flushed a bright red. Fred and George exchanged curious glances with raised eyebrows.

"Yes," Hermione answered in barely a whisper.

"Who?" Remus demanded, looking amused with her reaction so far. Hermione mumbled something unintelligible.

"What was that?" Remus persisted. Hermione closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She knew what was coming.

"Gilderoy Lockhart." There was dead silence in the room for a moment before Fred and George busted up laughing. Everyone else just looked slightly amused at their reactions since they had no clue who he was.

"Oh shut up," Hermione told them, extremely red faced. Of course this did nothing for them. They were falling over they were laughing so hard.

"L-L-Lockhart?" George managed to choke out before laughing even harder.

"I was twelve!" she yelled indignantly. This did nothing to reduce the twins' laughter. Hermione finally got sick of it and shoved George off of their beanbag and onto Fred. They didn't seem to mind so much and just used each other for support to keep from falling over in laughter. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Seriously, it's not that funny," she tried. This did nothing except cause them to laugh harder. They had tears slipping down their faces and their faces were red from lack of air.

"Was he just so handsome Hermione?" Fred teased. Hermione glared at him and he succumbed to his laughter once again.

"Nah," George inserted. "It would've been how smart she thought he was, right Mione?" Hermione glared at him too and refused to comment. George laughed some more.

"Must have been a bit of a shock when you woke up and found out that he was an old fraud!" George continued. This renewed the twins' laughter and they once again were incapable of speech. Hermione glared at them.

"Oh honestly. It's not that funny!" she exclaimed. The twins just nodded silently through their laughter. Hermione huffed.

"Who's turn is next?" Hermione asked desperately. Lily opened her mouth, but Sirius's voice beat her to it.

"Oh no you don't! Who's Lockhart?" he asked. Hermione glared at him.

"He was our Defense teacher in my second year. He was really famous because he had reportedly done a lot of amazing things. As it turns out he lied about all of it and stole the stories from the people who had really done these things and then modified their memories so they didn't remember doing them. He was really quite an idiot," Hermione told him. They laughed, but nowhere near as hard as Fred and George, who had actually known him. Hermione flushed again.

"I was twelve!" she repeated in her defense.

"It just goes to show that even the brightest witch of her age can be duped by a pretty face," George told her with a wink. Hermione scowled at him.

"Yes, well I've learned my lesson since then and now I only go for men who are completely unattractive," Hermione told him viciously. George gasped and Fred laughed harder.

"We're identical you twit," he said elbowing his brother. "She just insulted both of us in one go!" Fred stopped laughing and sent George a look.

"I told you she was no good. You've got to find yourself a simple bird who will laugh at our jokes, but not attack back," Fred said with a wink at Hermione who just rolled her eyes. George snorted.

"But what fun would that be. That'd get deathly boring right quick. Besides, you're one to talk," George said with a smirk and a lifted eyebrow. Fred glared at his twin. They had a silent conversation where Fred seemed to be warning George off and George seemed to be ignoring him.

"After all, you've got your sights set on a bird who-," George was cut off by a tackle from Fred. They went crashing backwards. George was laughing hysterically and Fred had his twin in a headlock.

"I don't fancy anybody," Fred told his twin sternly.

"Oh Freddie, how quickly you forget that I know you better than you know yourself," George responded merrily. Fred snorted.

"Well you're wrong on this one and it'd do you well to keep your yap shut," Fred threatened. George just laughed.

"Alright, alright. Just let me know when you're ready to make your move and I'll be here to tell you I told you so and laugh in your face." Fred scowled at his brother, but let him out of the headlock.

"I mean it-," Fred started only to be interrupted by George.

"I know, I know," he said, miming zipping his lips. Fred rolled his eyes and settled himself back into his beanbag. George sat himself next to Hermione and put his arm over her shoulders. She shrugged him off.

"Aw c'mon Mione," George pleaded. "We were just having a laugh." Hermione scowled at him.

"I was twelve," she repeated for the third time. George smiled at her persistence.

"Yes darling you were only twelve and no one holds it against you," George reassured her, trying to keep a straight face. Hermione examined him carefully before giving a slight nod to her head.

"Fine," she conceded. George beamed at her.

"Although I do find it rather funny," he admitted as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders a second time. Hermione elbowed him in the ribs.

"Ow!" George complained. Hermione just ignored him and smiled slightly.

"So whose turn is it?" she asked the room nicely.

"Mine!" Lily called out cheerfully. "Remus, you haven't had a turn yet, Truth or Dare?" Remus eyed Lily carefully.

"Dare," he said with only the slightest delay. Lily grinned innocently.

"Alright, I dare you to hand in McGonagall's essay on human transfiguration with lots of information on how great you think Sirius's body is when we get back from break," she said with her innocent smile. Remus gaped at her for a moment.

"You're evil." Lily's smile transformed into a mischievous grin.

"Well I am dating a Marauder," she said. James grinned happily and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"That's right you are! It's about time you realized the benefits," he said with a grin as he crossed his legs and tugged down his skirt. Lily giggled and rolled her eyes.

"Yes James darling. I have taken off my blinders and now I see the light. Anyway it's your turn James," she told him as she poked his ribs.

"Right you are, Peanut," he said happily. Lily groaned.

"Not the Peanut thing again," she grumbled. James just smiled and ignored her complaint.

"Lily darling, Truth or Dare?" he asked. Lily eyed her boyfriend suspiciously then shook her hair back from her face and squared her shoulders.

"Dare." James's grin threatened to break his face.

"I dare you to pull a prank with me and the Marauders," he said smugly. Lily frowned in thought.

"Oh alright," she agreed. James laughed happily and clapped his hands.

"Yay!" Lily held back a giggle at his behavior.

"Really James? Are you a five year old little girl or do you just like to dress and act like one?" Sirius asked. James stuck his tongue out at his best friend.

"You're just jealous because you don't have a girlfriend who will pull pranks with you. Oh wait scratch that, you don't have a girlfriend at all," James taunted. Sirius flipped his hair over his shoulder, much in the same manner that Lily had.

"I don't need a girlfriend Prongsie. I have all the girls I need to satisfy myself clamoring at my feet for a chance at me. Why would I want _commitment_?" he asked as though it was a dirty word. James laughed at his friend.

"One of these days Padfoot you'll grow up a bit and realize how great a little _commitment_ can be," James told him, uncharacteristically wise. Sirius laughed.

"Me? Grow up? Never!" he shouted. Just about everyone in the room rolled their eyes. Some things would just never change.

* * *

The group of teens managed to retire to their own dorms for the night rather than falling asleep talking again. The next day Hermione was frantic that she had wasted the entire day the day before and hadn't accomplished a thing on her to do list. She scarfed down her breakfast in record time and scampered off to the library. George had realized that in all of the excitement of the previous day no one had talked to Dumbledore about Fred's return. So he and Fred set off for the gargoyle guarded office after they had finished their breakfast, albeit at a much more leisurely pace than Hermione.

The Marauders dragged Lily off somewhere to discuss a prank in progress, which left Alice and Nikki to their own devices. They chose to go for a walk on the grounds. They set out around the lake, enjoying the late morning sun that just managed to warm their backs despite the deep winter chill. The lake was frozen solid so they decided that it would be fun to skate around on it in their tennis shoes.

They skated around for a long time, giggling and laughing. They raced each other and soon were so worn out they dropped themselves down in the middle of the lake and lay on their backs, watching the large puffy white clouds float by. The cold of the ice they lay on penetrated their cloaks but they didn't care. They talked and pointed out shapes in the clouds as their breath puffed white from their mouths.

"That one looks a bit like a walrus mixed with a hippogriff," Nikki pointed to a large cloud off to their left.

"What? How does that even work? I think it looks more like a flobberworm phoenix hybrid" Alice asked laughing at her goofy friend. Nikki grinned.

"No really, look," she said pointing again. "There's the hippogriff head." She traced her finger in the air, outlining the cloud. "Then there's some walrus tusks coming out its open mouth," she explained still tracing in the air. "And then then rest of the body is over here and kinda starts out like a hippogriff before it just kind of blobs into a walrus body." She finished outlining the cloud and there was silence for a moment as Alice screwed up her eyes trying to see it.

"I think… No. That's definitely a Flobbix. There is no trace of Waliff in that cloud," Alice told her friend, shaking her head. Nikki started arguing back and soon enough they were both bickering.

"Alice, you're blind! That's so obviously a Waliff! How can you not see it?"

"Well it's simple really. Because that is in no way shape or form a Waliff. It is unmistakably a Flobbix! How have you managed to get so far in Care of Magical Creatures without this elementary education?"

"Excuse me? I know the difference between a Flobbix and a Waliff thank you! _You're_ the delusional one!"

"Am not! I know a Flobbix when I see one and that's a Flobbix!" The two girls sat up to glare at each other. Alice's lip twitched dangerously and before they knew it they had collapsed in laughter.

"What is going on here?" A voice suddenly asked. Alice and Nikki jumped. They hadn't heard anyone approach over their loud giggles. It was Fred and George. They both looked deeply amused and wore identical grins.

"Oh hello," Alice gasped out as she tried to regain her breath.

"Hey!" Nikki suddenly shouted. "You guys can help us settle a dispute. Does that cloud, that one over there, look like a Flobbix or a Waliff?" she asked seriously. Fred and George studied the cloud in question before exchanging glances.

"A Flobbix."

"A Waliff," they said in unison.

"What?!" They exclaimed as they turned to each other, still speaking in unison. "No!"

"That's a Waliff," Fred said, pointing. George shook his head sadly before Fred even finished his sentence.

"No, that's definitely a Flobbix." He corrected.

"No, look. It looks just like a Waliff!"

"No, Fred that's definitely a Flobbix. I'd recognize one anywhere."

"Don't make me hex you Georgie! That's a Waliff if I've ever seen one."

"Fred look at that definition, it's most definitely a Flobbix and I'll not hear another word against it!"

"But it's a WALIFF!" Fred shouted. The twins glared at each other for another moment before turning to the slightly surprised girls simultaneously.

"What's a Waliff?"

"What's a Flobbix?" they asked harmoniously.

The girls stared at them in bewilderment for a moment before collapsing into giggles yet again. Fred and George exchanged grins before joining in. The group laughed and played on the lake awhile longer. Laughter was simply unavoidable where Fred and George were concerned.

The rest of day passed in much of the same manner. Fred, George, Alice, and Nikki hung out together and had fun. Hermione was holed up in the library making plans and who knew what else. At one point George had tried to get her out to relax and take a break. Needless to say Hermione didn't leave and George made a hasty exit before she could make good on her threats. The Marauders and Lily on the other hand, hadn't been seen since breakfast.

"I bet they're trying to plan some awesome prank in an attempt to put us to shame," George reflected when the topic had been brought up by Alice. The foursome was currently relaxing in the Room or Requirement after a very filling supper. George was sprawled out on a couch with his feet propped on the armrest, crossed at the ankles, and his arms folded behind his head. Fred was in a similar position, but lying on the floor with his feet propped on George's couch. The girls had their own couch opposite the boys and were both lying on their backs with their heads on opposite ends.

"Of course they are," Fred answered sleepily. "But the key word there Georgie is _trying_," Fred informed his brother. George smiled to the ceiling.

"They aren't going to know what hit them are they Freddie?" he asked. Fred grinned and closed his eyes.

"Not a clue Georgie. Not a clue."

"What are you guys planning?" Nikki asked curiously. Fred's eyes popped open and he tipped his head back as far as possible to give her an absurd upside down glare.

"Like we'd tell you! You've been holed up with the enemy for six and a half years! We have no way of knowing where your true allegiance lies." Nikki grinned and rolled her eyes.

"Honestly I'm not taking any sides. I'm up for laughing at _all_ of you." Fred narrowed his eyes.

"But that means that you would also be up for revealing our plans to the enemy in a twist of events just to amuse yourself," Fred said. Nikki turned her head so she was once again facing the ceiling so she could hide her grin.

"Haven't the foggiest what you could mean by that Fred," she said innocently. Fred snorted attractively.

"Right. Your little innocent act is lost on me. I've seen that little grin of yours. And how you hexed that prat you dated! You're every bit a mischief maker as George and I! Well maybe not quite to our level, but you are mischievous," Fred informed her. Nikki smiled, still at the ceiling.

"Hmmm. Think what you will I suppose," she said dreamily. Fred opened his mouth to argue some more, but George cut him off."Whose side are you on Alice?" he asked her. Alice looked faintly surprised at the question.

"Well I haven't really thought about taking a side. I usually don't take sides between my friends," she told him hesitantly. George grinned.

"Buuuut?" Alice grinned back.

"But I think it would be positively amazing if someone would best the Marauders at their own game. Take them down a notch and deflate their egos a bit," she said, her eyes twinkling.

"Yes!" George pumped a fist in the air. "That's two for our side!"

"Who's the other?" Fred asked skeptically.

"Hermione of course," George answered, giving his twin a look that very clearly said _Duuuh_. Fred ignored the look and shrugged his shoulders.

"Did she _tell_ you that?" he asked. George looked slightly confused.

"Well no, but-,"

"Then how do you _know_?" Fred asked. "She could be hoping for the same thing as dear Alice here. You've got to get some confirmation mate." George looked taken aback.

"But-, But she's my-,"

"Georgie she's been your girlfriend for all of a day. And she's still Hermione Granger, prefect, know-it-all, and, had circumstances permitted, Head Girl. Do you really think she'd root for you in a prank war?" George was looking very concerned by the end of this speech.

"I'll just go talk to her then shall I?" he said nonchalantly as he stood from the couch and walked calmly to the door. As the door began to swing shut they could hear his footsteps suddenly begin speeding off down the stone corridor. The girls giggled and Fred chuckled to himself as he picked himself up off the floor and stole George's spot, resuming his position.

"Ahhh, that's better," he sighed contently and shut his eyes. "It's always so fun to play on his insecurities. Mainly because he has so few."

"Do you really think Hermione will support the Marauders?" Alice asked. Fred snorted and peeked a look at her long enough to give her an incredulous look.

"No. Hermione's the most loyal person I know," he said without hesitation. "I just wanted off the floor… And it was funny."

"You know, you could have just wished for a new couch instead of going through all of that," Alice told him sensibly.

"But where's the fun in that?" Fred asked without opening his eyes. Alice and Nikki traded glances, both of them grinning in amusement.

"I think the Weasley twins are about to give the Marauders a run for their money," Nikki deadpanned. Alice burst into giggles and Nikki followed suit, leaving Fred to grin happily to himself as he settled in for a light nap.

* * *

The next day started in much of the same fashion. They all arrived for breakfast and Hermione immediately started scarfing her's down.

"Mione," George immediately started to whine. "I wanted to do something fun today!" Hermione didn't so much as spare him a glance as she replied.

"Sorry, can't. Loads to do still." George gaped at her.

"More? What else could there possibly be? And besides, it's Christmas Eve and I wanted to-," Hermione interrupted him by choking on the eggs she had been inhaling.

"It's Christmas Eve?!" she exclaimed after she cleared her airway. "I haven't bought _any_ presents! Oh no! Everyone's going to think I'm an awful person!" she fretted. George smiled fondly at her.

"Well I was thinking we could go to Hogsmead and get some things, seeing as Fred and I haven't gotten any either. I'm not sure what to do about money though. I only had a few galleons and things in my pockets when we came and I've used almost all of the prank items I had on me so I can't sell them, and Fred didn't have anything," he said, looking away slightly. It felt just like back before he and Fred had their shop and they were poor as dirt. Hermione didn't notice his look and waved her hand dismissively.

"I've a few galleons too. We'll just have to be thrifty and creative with our purchases. I'm sure no one will mind," she sighed in a slightly stressed way as she stared at her half empty plate in thought and twisted a strand of hair around her finger. "I'll have to find a way to fit this into my schedule." She glanced at her watch and frowned. "I suppose if we go now I can spare a few hours before I absolutely have to get back to work. We still have training tonight…"

She seemed to be talking aloud to herself rather than George, so George took the opportunity to turn to his twin.

"You up for gift shopping in Hogsmead?" he asked, straight to the point. Fred shrugged.

"Sure," he said through a mouthful of toast, purposely spraying crumbs on his twin. George frowned at Fred and gave him a look extremely reminiscent of Mrs. Weasley.

"Fredrick, how do you ever expect to get a good proper job at the Ministry if your spew crumbs at all of your superiors?" George asked seriously. Fred raised his eyebrows and aimed a hurt expression at his twin.

"Now Georgerick, how would you feel if I were to have a wall fall on me again and the last thing you ever said to me was about how I need to stop spewing crumbs and work at the Ministry?" he countered. The twins stared each other down for a few moments before simultaneously bursting into laughter. Hermione smiled and shook her head at them while the rest of their friends looked bemused.

"I feel like we miss out on a lot of inside jokes around this lot," Remus commented lightly. Hermione flashed him a smile as the twins were still too busy gwaffing at themselves.

* * *

"So where to first?" Hermione asked a short while later when the trio arrived in Hogsmead. The twins turned simultaneously and gave her identical looks with one eyebrow raised. Hermione sighed.

"Right. So where are we going _after_ Zonkos?" George grinned at her.

"You should really know us better Mione," he told her. "Of course the first place we're going to is Zonkos!"

Hermione just rolled her eyes fondly and refrained from saying anything. The three friends entered the shop. Hermione, having never been there on a day that wasn't a scheduled Hogsmead visit, thought it was oddly quiet. Fred looked around curiously. George had already been to this Zonkos of the past, but Fred still hadn't found out the range of prank products available in this time period.

"Wow. This is sad," Fred finally said quietly, so he wouldn't be overheard by the wizard at the cash register. "This time period _needs_ us Georgie." George nodded his head somberly.

"That it does Freddie, that it does."

"Well there's nothing here of interest to us," Fred decided before turning and walking out the door. George nodded his agreement and matched Fred's strides as they exited the shop.

"My sentiments exactly."

"We could,"

"Precisely what I was thinking Gred."

"Right so the Apothecary next?"

"Then Dervish and Banges," George agreed nodding his head in agreement with whatever they were talking about.

"Excuse me?" Hermione said only slightly peevish as she had to jog to catch up, "Would one of you mind letting me in on exactly what we're doing?"

"Oh right," they said in unison.

"Forgot for a moment there," Fred started.

"That you aren't linked in on our brain wave yet," George finished with a wink. Hermione rolled her eyes, but couldn't stop the small smile from tugging her lips.

"We're going to make the Marauders some Skiving Snackboxes," George told her.

"Since the joke shop in this decade is _woefully_ desolate," Fred added looking disgruntled. Hermione looked torn between amusement and wariness.

"Well there is no doubt that the Marauders will love their gifts," she finally commented after a few moments of thought. Fred and George both looked at her with identical grins plastered across their faces.

"Hogwarts isn't going to know what hit it."

**AN: I think this is going to become a bit of a routine now; me only publishing once a week. Between school, work, friends, and family I just don't always have the energy to write. None the less I still love my story and will definitely finish it so don't you worry. :)**

** What did you think of this chapter? What did you think of the last chapter? I loved the reviews I got by the way. :) Thank you. I know these are filler chapters, but don't worry, the action picks up again soon. :)**


	12. Ch 12: Enjoying the Scenery

_**Disclaimer: I thought I owned Harry Potter once... Then I woke up. It's all Rowling's!**_

**Previously...**

_ "We're going to make the Marauders some Skiving Snackboxes," George told her._

_ "Since the joke shop in this decade is woefully desolate," Fred added looking disgruntled. Hermione looked torn between amusement and wariness._

_ "Well there is no doubt that the Marauders will love their gifts," she finally commented after a few moments of thought. Fred and George both looked at her with identical grins plastered across their faces._

_ "Hogwarts teachers aren't going to know what hit them."_

**Chapter 12: Enjoying the Scenery**

"MERRY CHRISTMAS!"

Hermione was startled awake by the yell and a heavy weight bouncing on her bed. She shot into a sitting position and reached for her wand. She blinked sleepily and tried to will her eyes to focus. Bright orange hair, sparkling blue eyes, and a wicked grin finally came into focus after a few seconds of blinking.

"Merry Christmas George," Hermione murmured back sleepily with a small embarrassed smile as she sank back onto her pillows. George's grin widened.

"What do you think you're doing? It's Christmas! Get out of bed! I already took your presents down to the common room for you. We're going to open them as a group."

"I have presents?" Hermione asked, still not fully awake. George laughed.

"Of course you do silly! Like we'd let you go through a Christmas with no presents!"

"We?" Hermione asked. Her brain had yet to kick into gear. She had been up late the night before finishing off everyone's gifts and tidying up her To-Do list so she would have time for fun today.

"Me, Fred, the Marauders, the girls. You know, your friends," George told her, looking amused. Hermione shook her head as though to clear it.

"Right. Just let me get dressed and brush my teeth, and-," she was cut off by her own yawn as George laughed at her.

"Mione, it's _Christmas_. That means no getting dressed allowed. Pajamas only," he told her seriously, although with a twinkle of amusement in his eyes and a slight grin still twitching the corners of his lips. Hermione rolled her eyes and covered another yawn.

"Alright, but I'm still going to brush my teeth and I need to do something with my hair," she said frowning as she patted the bushy mass protruding from her head. George grinned.

"Oh I dunno. I kinda like it like this. I can do this and it doesn't make any difference!" He ruffled her hair so it was even messier than before.

"George!" Hermione shrieked as she swatted his hand away. George laughed and hopped off the bed. Hermione sat up and pulled back her curtains for the first time. Lily and Alice were both heading for the bathroom grumbling slightly and Nikki was still in bed. That's when she noticed Fred was there also. He had an evil grin on his face and was looking eagerly at George who was giving him a look in return that seemed to say, _it's your funeral_. Fred's grin widened and he approached Nikki's bed stealthily.

"WAKE UP!" Fred yelled as he cannon balled Nikki's bed. Nikki awoke with a furious roar and immediately grabbed her wand from under her pillow. Fred barely dodged the bright yellow spell that shot his way and ended up toppling off the bed and collapsing on the floor.

"Hey! You can't hex me! It's Christmas!" Fred yelled indignantly from his crumpled heap on the floor.

"I DON'T CARE IF IT'S THE BLOODY APOCOLYPSE! YOU DON'T WAKE ME UP!" Nikki screeched, her eyes shut and never having opened. George attempted to stifle a chuckle at the look of shock on Fred's face.

"But it's _Christmas_," Fred told her again, nonplussed.

"I don't do mornings! Christmas or otherwise!" Nikki yelled before yanking the blanket up over her head and snuggling back down into her pillow. Hermione giggled and George was now openly laughing as Fred's jaw dropped open. This was obviously foreign territory for him. Hermione heard some giggles coming from her right and saw Lily and Alice in the bathroom doorway looking much happier and more awake than they had before.

"Here, allow me," Lily offered as she stepped forward. "Nikki it's noon and Sirius already opened your presents and has headed for the feast." Nikki shot up from the bed a second time, only this time didn't stop there. She shot to the bathroom.

"Why didn't you say so? He's going to eat all the food! And I'll kill him for touching _my_ presents!" she yelled over her shoulder. Fred looked totally bewildered and George and Hermione busted up laughing.

"What was that?" Fred demanded. "She shot a hex at me and then she's all sunshine and butterflies for you!" Lily giggled.

"You call that sunshine and butterflies? She threatened Sirius's life." Fred just shrugged.

"Seems to me that that's as close as she'll ever get," Fred told her. Lily and Alice laughed.

"True," they said together. At that moment Nikki shot back out of the bathroom and flew out the door yelling, "SIRIUS BLACK! I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" The room started laughing before calmly following her out the door.

"Aren't you going to tell her that you made it up?" Hermione asked curiously. Lily grinned mischievously.

"That would ruin all the fun," she answered. "Now hurry up you lot or we'll miss the show." Fred and George exchanged grins before grabbing two brooms that Hermione hadn't noticed before from the corner. George caught her eyeing his broom and grinned.

"Nicked 'em from James and Sirius. Had to get up here somehow to get you ladies up for presents!" he told her with a wink as he slung his leg over the broom and shot out the open door and down the stairs right behind Fred. Hermione smiled to herself and shook her head before following.

* * *

The morning went by quickly. The teens laughed, joked, and opened presents; after they saved Sirius from Nikki of course. The Marauders loved their snackboxes and had already begun plotting uses for them that were much more elaborate than just skiving class. Hermione had knitted sweaters for the twins, just like the Weasley sweaters Mrs. Weasley made every year. They stared silently at their sweaters after they finished unwrapping them and Hermione fidgeted uncomfortably. Did they not like them? Had she over stepped her bounds? It was a family tradition, but she felt that Christmas just wouldn't be the same without the traditional Weasley sweater.

"I know it's not really my place," Hermione began nervously and she twisted her hands in her lap, "But I just thought, you know, since your mum can't really make you the sweaters that someone should, and I didn't really have money for anything else, but if you don't like them I can-," Hermione's nervous ramblings were cut off as the twins both rose and enveloped her in tight hugs.

"Thank you," Fred told her as they released her from the hug.

"They're perfect," George reassured. Hermione smiled slightly.

"Are you sure? I mean I know it's a family thing and I'm not a Weasley…"

"Hermione," Fred interrupted with a patronizing look in her direction.

"You've been an honorary Weasley," George continued.

"Ever since the first summer you spent at the Burrow." Hermione looked surprised.

"Really?" she asked. The twins rolled their eyes in unison.

"Of course," they answered.

"You and Harry have always been family to us," Fred told her honestly. Hermione smiled.

"You guys have always been like family to me too," she confessed. George grimaced.

"Not me though right? I'm not much for the whole incest thing," he said looking at her warily. Hermione rolled her eyes, but grinned none the less.

"Of course not, George. You're special," she said as she patted his hand like one would to reassure a five year old. George grinned at Fred.

"Hear that Fred? I'm special," he told his twin. Fred raised his eyebrows at his twin.

"I've known that for years Georgie. You've always been the _special_ twin," he said as he tapped in finger to the side of his head. George scowled and stuck his tongue out at his brother before going back to examining his new sweater.

"You did a really good job on these Mione. Just like how mum makes 'em," he told her with a smile. "Hey! You even gave us the right ones!" he suddenly exclaimed as he held up his sweater for the rest of the room to see. Fred's eyes widened as he took in the initial on George's sweater and then quickly looked at his own. Hermione laughed at their surprise.

"Well I've been practicing and I've gotten a lot better at knitting since 4th year, and things just wouldn't be the same without Gred and Forge now would they?" she asked. George laughed and kissed her right on the lips in front of everyone.

"You're amazing," he told her as he looked into her eyes. Hermione flushed and looked down.

"It's just a letter," she said quietly. George smiled.

"It's also acceptance for who Fred and I are. The fact that you aren't trying to change us means more to me than you could ever know," he told her looking uncharacteristically serious. Hermione looked up into his deep blue eyes and sucked in a breath at the intensity that she saw there. George smiled at her and broke the moment as he pulled the sweater over his head.

"I'm so glad I don't have to go a whole winter without one of these."

The rest of the present opening passed uneventfully. Lily, Alice, and Nikki all received scarves from Hermione and joke candy from the twins. Hermione managed to get some Honeydukes candy for the Marauders. Lily had bought a defense book for Hermione. The Marauders and the girls excluding Hermione had chipped in to get a rather large gift certificate for the twins for the potions shop in Hogsmeade. Fred gave Hermione a tattered and worn copy of a book titled 'Edible Herbs and Fungi: Survival Guide'. Hermione unwrapped it and turned to give Fred a confused look.

"Umm thanks?" she said hesitantly. Fred just laughed at her.

"George told me about how much Ron complained about the awful things you found for them to eat on the hunt. So I thought you might want to learn a thing or two from this for any future instances where it might come in handy," he told her with a wink. Hermione scowled and considered throwing the book at him, but wasn't sure the book would survive the assault considering how worn it was. The book didn't deserve such mistreatment anyway.

So instead she gave her wand a slight flick and had his armchair dump him to the floor at her feet. Fred retaliated by stealing her slipper and running to the window and throwing it outside. Hermione rolled her eyes and nonverbally summoned her slipper back to her hand. She vanished the snow from it, stuck it back on her foot, and turned back to her gifts muttering something about overgrown children. Her next gift was from George. It was a very small four by four inch box with a bow on top. Hermione pulled the top off the box and a smile immediately bloomed on her face.

"Where did you learn how to make friendship bracelets?" she asked as she lifted the thin, braided object from its container. It was purple and yellow woven together with a small charm attached to the middle. Hermione ran her thumb over the charm. "A coyote?" she asked, looking puzzled. George looked a little nervous as he watched her.

"Yeah. That's my Patronus," he explained. Hermione's eyes lit up in understanding and she gave George a big hug.

"I love it," she told him simply. George beamed, all signs of nervousness gone.

"Good," he responded. "I put a strengthening charm on it so it wouldn't rip or anything and another charm to waterproof it, so you shouldn't have to worry about ruining it," he explained. Hermione smiled.

"Wonderful. Then I never have to take it off. Will you tie it on me please?" she asked. George grinned happily and tied it around her left wrist. "Perfect," Hermione said before leaning in and kissing George on the lips. When she pulled back George's grin was broader than ever. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and held her close to his side. Hermione snuggled in and got comfortable. The couple stayed that way for a very long time.

* * *

The group spent the day laughing and enjoying each others' company, not to mention their gifts. After lunch James and Lily disappeared for quite a while to "exchange gifts" and came back looking rather flushed and disheveled. Sirius teased his best friend relentlessly until Alice finally took pity on him and brought up a new subject.

"So I had plans to go see Frank in Hogsmeade today, only he doesn't think it would be safe for me to go alone. So do you guys want to come with? You guys can all hang out there while I get some alone time with Frank and then we can meet back up when it's time to leave?" she asked looking slightly hesitant.

"Of course, Alice," Lily was first to answer.

"Alone time?" Nikki asked with a smirk as she waggled her eyebrows. Alice flushed and glared at her friend.

"Yes Nikki, alone time. It's something couples do together. I don't expect you to know much about it, but it is very common in couples, especially couples who haven't seen each other in quite a long time," Alice told her with her nose turned up in the air. Nikki raised her eyebrows.

"Quite a long time? Didn't you just see each other this past weekend?" she asked, ignoring Alice's degrading remark on her love life. Alice just glared at her friend who rolled her eyes and put her hands up in defeat.

"Whatever makes you happy Alice," she said in defeat. Alice smirked and nodded sharply at her friend.

"Damn straight." The rest of the room laughed. It was rather funny to hear sweet Alice use curse words. "So are the rest of you coming?" The room's occupants all nodded and reassured Alice that they would love nothing more than to be her body guards on her date to Hogsmeade.

"Good," Alice responded. "Now if you don't mind I've got a date to prepare for. See you lot at four." She then rose from her seat and marched up the stairs to her dorm.

"Cool," Sirius commented. "Now we get to spend Christmas on an illegal Hogsmeade trip. Couldn't think of a better way to celebrate the holidays!" he declared happily. "Unless maybe we get to kick some Death Eater butt while we're there," he added as an afterthought. Remus shuddered.

"Don't even joke about that. We are in no way prepared for that," he told his friend. Sirius rolled his eyes.

"It was just a joke Moony. Honestly, I'm sure the Death Eaters have much better things to do on this wonderful holiday than attack a few school kids. Nothing is going to happen."

* * *

Four 'o' clock rolled around much sooner than expected. Soon everyone found themselves scrambling around for cloaks, shoes, and pocket money while Alice glared at them all and tapped her foot impatiently.

"You're going to make me late! I told you we were leaving at four!"

"Actually," James informed her as he finally managed to pull on his shoe after hopping ridiculously around the common room, "You just said 'see you lot at four'. You never specified that we would be leaving at that time." Alice glared him down and a feral growl escaped her pretty pink painted lips. A look of fear flashed across James's face before he wisely scrambled off to grab his cloak.

"Everyone ready?" Remus asked as he looked around the room after James returned with his cloak. He was answered with a round of nods. "Alright then, let's go." The group set off and James was mumbling to himself as he patted his cloak pockets.

"I just had it. Where in the world-?"

"Looking for something?" Fred asked as he began unfolding a worn bit of parchment. James looked bewildered.

"Where- How did you-?" he stuttered.

"Ah," George interrupted. "Ask us no questions-,"

"We'll tell you no lies," Fred finished with a smirk. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." The Marauders all glared playfully at the twins. They weren't truly mad them, but it was their map after all.

"What's that?" Nikki asked at she peeked at the map.

"Well now wouldn't you like to know?" Fred said as he tugged the map out of her line of sight while studying it. "The coast is clear. We're using the one-eyed witch passage right?" he asked of the marauders. They nodded in response.

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Alice interrupted. "I thought we would just go out the front-,"

"Oh but you see dear Alice," George interrupted.

"We could get caught that way," Fred informed her.

"And seeing as this is an illegal trip," George continued.

"Getting caught is not in our best interests."

"And certainly would put a damper on the festivities."

"Not to mention-," Fred noted.

"This way is much more fun," they finished together with identical mischievous smirks. Alice looked totally disconcerted.

"A bit startling when they do that isn't it?" Hermione asked her as she patted her shoulder. Alice nodded mutely. "It's alright, you get used to it. You just have to content yourself in knowing that at least they aren't contagious," she told her friend seriously. Alice laughed.

"Hey!" the twins yelled in unison as they glared at Hermione. Nikki saw the opportunity and snatched the map from Fred's fingers. "Hey!" Fred repeated, but it was too late.

"Wow. This is amazing! Where did you find it?" Nikki asked as Alice peeked over her shoulder. The Marauders all turned to give her highly offended looks of astonishment.

"_Find it_?" Sirius squeaked. "We _made_ it!" Nikki and Alice both exchanged disbelieving looks.

"No really!" James insisted. "This," he gestured wildly at the map in Fred's hands, "is the Marauders' Map!"

"It's true," Hermione inserted. "I know it's hard to believe, but they're much smarter than they look."

"Hey!" the Marauders complained while Hermione just smiled innocently. Sirius eyed Lily suspiciously.

"Why don't you look surprised?" he demanded. Lily shrugged and missed James shaking his head furiously.

"James told me about it ages ago. Explained a lot really-,"

"Prongs!" Sirius interrupted. "How could you?" he asked looking hurt.

"Oh come on Padfoot," Remus said rolling his eyes. "Did you really expect Prongs to keep any secrets from Lily after he worked so hard to win her over?"

"Yes," Sirius answered instantly. Remus rolled his eyes and gave James a sympathetic look. James just shrugged in return. Then the group suddenly stopped. They had reached the one-eyed witch statue. Hermione approached the statue and tapped it with her wand.

"_Dissendium_," she said confidently. Nothing happened. "Wha-,"

"Oh sorry Mione," George said as he slapped his forehead. "I totally forgot that Fred and I changed the password in our first year after we found it. You see, we weren't sure if Filch knew about it or not. Now what was the old password Fred? Lap-,"

"Lup-,"

"Lip-,"

"Lapsus," all four Marauders answered in unison.

"That's the ticket!" the twins responded simultaneously. The girls looked slightly afraid.

"This is just getting weird," Alice said as she shook her head. The girls nodded in agreement while the boys laughed happily.

"Lapsus," Hermione tried a second time and this time the witch moved as it was supposed to. One by one the group of friends slid away down the slide and into the dark tunnel leading to Hogsmeade.

"So where exactly does this tunnel go?" Nikki asked, frowning into the darkness as she lit her wand.

"The cellar in Honeydukes," Sirius and James exclaimed excitedly. Alice looked worried.

"Won't they notice a bunch of teenagers coming out of their cellar?" she asked. The Marauders and the twins exchanged smirks.

"Not if you do it right," Sirius explained.

"Don't worry about it Alice," George reassured her.

"Yeah, you're with experts," Fred told her with a grin. Alice still looked skeptical, but nodded anyway. The group lit their wands and began walking in companionable silence. Hermione and George lingered at the back of the group behind James and Lily. George grabbed her hand and they walked silently for a few minutes.

"That's really brilliant you know," Hermione said, breaking the silence. George looked puzzled.

"What is?" he asked.

"Figuring out how to change the password on the witch in your first year. Not a lot of kids could do that," she clarified. George looked slightly surprised.

"Well I guess. I mean we didn't really think about it at the time. It was just something that we knew needed to get done so we did it. We didn't really consider what we were supposed to be able to do or what out limitations were supposed to be," he tried to explain while rubbing the back of his head with the hand that held his lit wand. Hermione smiled up at him.

"I think that's what makes you so special. You don't look at life like other people do. You don't see guidelines and restrictions and how things are 'supposed to be'. You just see what you want or what needs to be accomplished and you do whatever it takes to get it done. I think that's amazing." George was glad it was dark because he could feel the blood rushing to the back of his neck and tips of his ears. She thought he was amazing?

"It's nothing really," he mumbled.

"But it is," Hermione insisted. She stopped walking and George stopped beside her looking confused. He looked into her eyes and his breath caught in his throat. Her eyes were not brown and dull like most people thought brown eyes were. They were not plain and ordinary. They were alive. They were full of passion, determination, and conviction. George stared into her eyes and forgot what he had been about to say. He watched as her eyes changed. They darkened and a different emotion came into play.

He was just about to figure out what this emotion could be when she stepped closer to him. He lost all train of thought when her scent wafted over him. That pure Hermione smell that he loved and longed for. He wasn't sure who moved first, but the next thing he knew their lips were melded together and he had her backed against the wall. They kissed passionately and lost all sense of where they were or what they had been originally doing. All that mattered was the present and each other. Finally they broke apart breathing heavily.

George untangled his hands from where they had, of their own accord, wound into her hair, but did not release her from her position against the wall. Instead he cupped his hand on her cheek and kissed her slowly and softly. Whereas the last had been hard and passionate, this was sweet and loving. He traced his finger down her cheek and then began to softly run his fingers through her hair. Hermione moaned into his mouth and he knew he had to stop before he lost it completely. He pulled back and cupped her cheek again.

"Mione, I-,"

"Hermione? George? Where did you two go?" Fred's voice interrupted him. George groaned in frustration and scowled in the direction that Fred's voice and wand light were coming from. Hermione chuckled slightly at the irritated look on George's face before kissing his cheek lightly and gently pushing back on his shoulders to free herself from the wall. He didn't put up any resistance and stepped back out of her way. Hermione fixed her hair and straightened her clothes just as Fred came into view from around a bend in the tunnel.

"There you two are. If I didn't know better I'd have thought you got lost," Fred exclaimed, looking between the two of them. George glared unabashedly at his brother until Hermione elbowed him in the ribs.

"We're fine," she reassured Fred. "Just stopped to enjoy the scenery," she said as she walked off towards the others, throwing a wink over her shoulder at George.

Fred looked mildly surprised at Hermione. He never thought she'd be one to stop for a snog in a secret passageway (because that was obviously what had happened) and then be so flippant about it when she was caught. George picked up on his brother's surprise and flashed him a smirk before jogging to catch up to the woman who completely captivated him. Fred shook his head and slowly turned to follow.

* * *

The teens arrived in Hogsmeade and exited Honeydukes with no more incidents. They quickly went their separate ways, Alice all but running into Frank's arms where he waited outside the Three Broomsticks. The Marauders kidnapped Lily and snuck off somewhere, no doubt working more on their prank. This left Nikki, Hermione, Fred, and George to wander the streets together.

"Whatever they're planning better be good to be putting this much effort into it," Fred grumbled as he watched the Marauders march purposefully around the corner of a shop with Lily draped over James's shoulder screeching threats at the tops of her lungs and pounding her fists against his back.

"Oh I'm sure it'll be magnificent Freddie. This is the Marauders we're talking about after all," George pointed out. Fred sighed.

"I know. I would just hate to be disappointed you know? I mean they've only been our idols since first year. It'd be a total bummer if they turned out to not be as great as we'd always assumed they were." George patted Fred's back.

"Well even if they aren't we can always teach them a thing or two," George said with a smirk. Fred returned the smirk.

"Right you are Georgie."

"Well I don't think you two have much to worry about," Nikki commented idly as she glanced into a shop window they were passing. "The last time the Marauders spent this long planning a prank they had all of the suits of armor doing the can-can in the Great Hall during dinner." Fred and George burst out in laughter.

"Now that would have been a sight to see," Fred commented happily.

"Oh it was, trust me," Nikki replied with a smile. Fred smiled back. A strange look crossed Nikki's face and then she quickly turned back to look at the storefronts they were passing by. Fred looked after her curiously. She was certainly a fascinating mystery.

Hours went by and it became dark and cold. The two groups had long since taken shelter in the Three Broomsticks while they waited for Alice to finish her date and were presently enjoying themselves quite a lot. Hermione and George's chairs were so close together their thighs were touching and George had his arm draped around her shoulders. Lily had perched herself on James's lap and he had his arms firmly around her waist while they and the rest of the group howled in laughter at a story the twins had told. It was a good thing it was Christmas, otherwise they may have been asked to leave. As it was there were a great number of people in the bar, all drinking and being merry in celebration of the holiday.

Suddenly the door to the pub banged open so hard it made a deafening crack as it struck the wall behind it. The crowd hushed as everyone fearfully turned to the doorway to see who the new arrival was. It may be a holiday, but these were times of war after all.

"Sorry everyone. The wind caught the door," a tall, broad shouldered man with light brown hair called out with a friendly smile upon his face. Everyone happily turned away from the man and delved back into their drinks and merriment. Hermione watched as Alice appeared from behind the man and grabbed his hand. She scanned the room for a moment before her eyes landed on their table and lit up. She then dragged the man across the room despite the drastic size difference between the two.

"Guess what guys!" she called excitedly, still ten feet away. Lily jumped up and squealed for no reason that was apparent to Hermione or the rest of the group if their facial expressions had anything to say about it. Lily ran to her friend and enveloped her in a giant bear hug.

"Oh this is just wonderful! I am so happy for you! You have to tell me everything! Oh I can't believe it! Congratulations!" she said very quickly and at a high volume that earned curious stares from nearby tables. Hermione and George exchanged confused glances and then shrugged their shoulders before looking back at their friends before them.

"Lily, what are you going on abou-," Nikki started to ask, but finished in a gasp as Alice held up her left hand for her friend to see.

"You're engaged!" Nikki exclaimed. Alice nodded happily, smiling so large that it was a wonder it still managed to fit on her face.

"Yes. Frank proposed and I said yes!" she gasped out.

"Congratulations!" Nikki yelled as she jumped out of her seat and ran to give her friend a giant hug. She released her friend and turned to the man beside her and slapped his shoulder.

"As for you Frank, it's about damn time!" Nikki narrowed her eyes up at him, but the grin that still resided on her lips gave away her true thoughts. The entire group of friends laughed, including Frank.

"Well I'd been meaning to wait until after Ally graduated, but I just couldn't anymore. I've had the ring since this past summer," he explained to Nikki. Alice gasped and slapped his shoulder also.

"You have not!" she yelled. Frank laughed and bent and gave her a kiss full on the lips.

"Of course I have. I've known from the beginning that you're the only one for me," he told her. Alice just about literally melted there on the spot. She grinned hugely up at her fiancé.

"Same here," she told him. Lily broke the moment between the pair by grabbing Alice's arm and dragging her to the table.

"You have to tell me everything," she demanded. "How did he ask? What did he say? Where did he take you? Did he get down on one knee? Did he-,"

"Lily! Give her some air!" Nikki exclaimed as she rushed after her friends. "She has plenty of time to tell us everything. Now Alice. Start from the beginning."

Alice opened her mouth to speak, but immediately closed it again when a series of loud cracks followed by a bright flash of orange light drew the entire pub's attention to the outside window. At first no one was quite sure what was happening. Then a group garbed in black robes and masks became visible through the window. No one so much as exhaled. Then they heard the screams and everything fell into chaos.

**AN: MUAHAHAHAHA! This was all a part of my evil plan! Make you all wait forever and a day and then leave you with a terrible cliff hanger! MUAHAHAHA!**

**But no really. I have a multitude of excuses I could use to explain away why it has taken so abysmally long to update, but I won't bore you with them here. As always please review! Tell me your thoughts! Hopefully the next one won't take quite so long! **

**Oh and I hit a milestone. Over 100 followers! Woohoo! Thanks everyone for your support and dedication! It is much appreciated! **


	13. Ch 13: Do or Die

**Disclaimer: Everything here belongs to the wonderful J.K. Rowling. I just thought it would be fun to add my own little twist to things. **

_Previously…_

"_Lily! Give her some air!" Nikki exclaimed as she rushed after her friends. "She has plenty of time to tell us everything. Now Alice. Start from the beginning."_

_ Alice opened her mouth to speak, but immediately closed it again when a series of loud cracks followed by a bright flash of orange light drew the entire pub's attention to the outside window. At first no one was quite sure what was happening. Then a group garbed in black robes and masks became visible through the window. No one so much as exhaled. Then they heard the screams and everything fell into chaos._

**Chapter 13: Do or Die**

Lights were flashing. People ran for cover. Panicked yells rent the air as people tried and failed to disapparate. Loved ones clung to one another in fear. Bangs and cracks were heard from outside the pub where the flashes of lights from spells illuminated the night. Suddenly a leering masked face pressed itself against the window. It sneered and then turned and beckoned its mates. Hermione saw and leapt to her feet, firmly putting her shock out of her mind.

"Everyone!" she yelled to the pub. People ignored her in their panic. "Listen!" she tried again much to the same effect. She used her chair as a step and stood onto their table. She raised her wand and series of loud bangs shocked the pub into silence.

"We need to organize now!" she shouted. "They are coming and we only stand a chance if we unite and fight together. If you want to return home to your families listen to me now! We haven't much time."

The pub was deathly silent as they stared at this young girl in wonder. How would she know anything about fighting?

"They are coming and they are coming now. We need to keep them out of this bar," Hermione instructed. "This is our castle. We need to defend it from the invaders. We only stand a chance if we fight together," she repeated.

"An' why should we listen to you?" a large thirty something man with a bushy brown beard asked with his blue eyes narrowed in suspicion. Hermione threw back her shoulders and held her head high with her wand gripped tightly in her right hand.

"Because if you don't we're all dead," she said grimly. "Now we need a group to man the front door and another at the back. Rosemerta, are there any other potential entrances the Death Eaters could use to get in?"

A young brown haired witch shook her head mutely, her eyes wide and afraid, but her back straight and her wand held ready.

"Good," Hermione continued. I need back up for both groups and a third group to man this window. It's not going to last long." The bar's patrons stood stock still and just stared at the young bushy haired girl on the table.

"NOW!" Hermione yelled. "We don't have time for this!"

People jumped to action. A group of five burly men ran to the front door just as it was blasted off its hinges. Three of them were knocked to the floor from the force of the blast, but quickly regained their footing. Spells shot all over the room as at least seven Death Eaters tried to force their way into the pub. Hermione ducked off the table as a bright purple something narrowly missed her head.

"Hermione, what do you want us to do?" Lily asked. She had her wand in her hand and a fiercely determined set to her face. Her eyes blazed in unwavering resolution. Hermione quickly scanned the faces of those around her. James and Sirius looked more grim and solemn than she had ever seen them. Alice and Frank held hands and looked pale, but there was steel in their gazes that spoke volumes. Nikki was also pale and looked furious. Remus looked grim and determined. Hermione turned to see the twins looking unusually serious and having a silent conversation. Hermione ran her eyes over her friends once more and that's when she noticed Peter cowering in the back, still sitting as though in complete shock.

"Peter," she called to him. Peter raised his head slowly until he made eye contact with Hermione. His eyes were wide and fearful. His hands were shaking and he hadn't even drawn his wand.

"Peter, are you going to fight?" Hermione asked. Peter opened and closed his mouth several times, but words would not come. Hermione tried to tamp down her irritation and impatience.

"Alright. You sit this one out. You'll be no help to us in this state," she decided. Peter looked immensely relieved, but still terrified. "Go hide in the back corner," Hermione told him. "Turn over a table to block stray spells and keep your wand out just in case. When the fighting is over someone will come for you. Go now." Peter nodded, but Hermione had already turned to the rest of the group.

"James, Lily. I want you two to go to the back and guard the door with the others. It is only a matter of time before they try to sneak in." James and Lily nodded sharply and exchanged glances. The look they shared communicated many things that they had no time to speak aloud. Then they turned and, holding hands ran through the kitchens to the back of the pub.

"Sirius and Remus, you two go to the front and help over there. They have it under control for now, but I guarantee there will be more." The two friends exchanged hurried glances before sprinting off to help the fight at the front door. Hermione exhaled and ran a hand through her bushy hair.

"Everyone else I need you here. This window won't last forever. Soon it will be a huge doorway. Right now there are wards up so we can't disapparate, but that also means they can't apparated in, but I have a feeling that will change too. Frank, is there anything you can do to alert the aurors?" Hermione asked.

Frank furrowed his brow and looked to be wracking his brains. He slowly began to shake his head.

"I'm just in training now so they haven't really gotten to that yet. They don't teach us that until we start going on missions," he explained. Hermione sighed.

"Alright then," She sighed. Then suddenly her eyes lit up as an idea struck her.

"What is it?" George asked as he noticed the look.

"Well I've never done it before, but I understand the theory. So I think I should be able to…" she trailed off and looked to be concentrating.

"_Expecto Patronum_!" she shouted. A form shot out of her wand, but disappeared before it could fully form. Hermione cursed under her breath.

"You can do it Mione," George encouraged her as he realized what she was trying to do. "Something truly happy." Hermione shut her eyes. This was the one spell she had trouble with. She could never seem to get a happy enough memory. Suddenly George's laughing face popped into the forefront of her mind.

"_Expecto Patronum_!" she yelled a second time. This time a fully corporal form burst from her wand tip. The silver otter waited patiently in front of her for Hermione to give it directions. George grinned at Hermione and she smiled slightly back.

"Professor Dumbledore there is a Death Eater attack happening in Hogsmead. Get the aurors. We are in the Three Broomsticks." Hermione said to the Patronus. The otter nodded once and then flew through the window and out into the night towards Hogwarts.

"Alright. Now I am going to work on setting up more wards. I need someone to watch my back while I'm doing this and the rest of you lot need to do anything you can to keep everyone here alive." Heads nodded resolutely and wands rose to the ready. George stepped forward to Hermione to offer his protection. They made eye contact for a brief moment before Hermione tuned them all out and concentrated all of her magic in making her wards as strong as she possibly could.

George scanned the room as Hermione began muttering spells under her breath. The group at the front door was doing alright. Of the original five men, two were left fighting. The others seemed to be incapacitated, but not dead. Now there were five others in their place, including Remus and Sirius. The two teens seemed to be holding their own alright, but still looked pretty beat up. George wondered how long they could keep that up. He could now hear shouts and see sparks of light coming from the back area and knew that the Death Eaters were now trying to force entry through that point also.

A loud crack to George's left drew his attention back to the window. It was now being bombarded with spells. George watched in horror as it spider webbed in the middle and the cracks continued to spread across the window. The group of people guarding the window began to fidget and look very nervous. The window was now so cracked it was a wonder it was still holding up. George glanced at Hermione to see her visibly sweating and pointing her wand at the window with a look of utmost concentration on her face. George suddenly understood.

"_Protego_!" he shouted, pointing his wand at the glass. Others in the group heard his shout and turned to look. They noticed the young couple straining to protect the glass and immediately swung back around. The shout "_Protego_" was heard all across the bar as the former patrons of the Three Broomsticks became its defenders and fought together to keep the Death Eaters from gaining entry.

The glass held in place, but was so fractured that it was no longer transparent. The group strained with all of their might against the unseen forces, but it was not enough. With an earth shattering boom the window exploded, throwing several people to the ground and showering everyone with glass fragments. Screams rang through the bar as people let their fear get the best of them. George and Hermione had both been thrown to the floor, but quickly jumped back to their feet, ignoring their many cuts and fresh forming bruises.

"WE MUST FIGHT TOGETHER!" Hermione yelled as loudly as she could in the hopes that it would help their small group of defenders regain their heads.

"She's right!" a middle aged woman added her voice. "I want to get home to my children and I'll be damned if I'm going to go down without a fight!" Hermione flashed her a grim smile and steeled herself as the black robed figures tried to pour into the huge hole in the bar. She and George jumped forward and began firing off any spell that entered their heads. The Death Eaters, unprepared for any skilled fighters, began to fall where they stood under the desperate onslaught they received from the villagers. Hermione saw a jet of blue from the corner of her eye and turned to block it even though she already knew she wouldn't be able to move fast enough. At the last second a shield popped into place in front of her. George smiled at her as he slashed his wand at yet another Death Eater causing his shield to disappear.

"Thanks!" Hermione yelled over to him. George just grinned at her and returned to the fight. And that's how it went from then on out. They had each other's backs as they defended one another and attacked together. The Death Eaters began dropping at an alarming rate. One succumbed to uncontrollable dancing legs, another stunned, another in a body bind curse, and more still falling due to the sheer determination with which the defenders fought. Hermione slashed her wand again and again. It seemed that every time she took down one opponent another would immediately replace it. George began fighting more viciously than Hermione had ever seen him before. She took a spare moment to glance at him and it was then that she saw the panic in his eyes and the very fast rise and fall of his chest. He turned his head and they made eye contact for a brief moment before they were both forced to turn back to the enemy.

"What's wrong?" Hermione called out to him as she caught yet another Death Eater in a full body bind curse.

"Fred," George gasped out. Hermione's heart skipped a beat.

"What? Is he okay? What do you know?" she asked quickly as she threw up a shield against a yellow jet of light headed their way.

"I don't know anything that's the problem. What if- what if-," George seemed to be unable to finish his sentence and his lapse in concentration caused him to suffer a deep cut to the cheek.

"Go find him," Hermione demanded, eyeing the nasty cut, but being unable to do anything about it as she cast off a quick series of stunners that took down two more Death Eaters. George shook his head and continued battling at Hermione's side.

"I can't- I can't leave you either," George said miserably as he slashed his wand and silently disarmed a masked enemy. Hermione paused for a moment to glare at George.

"I'm fine. We have this _impedimenta_ under control. Go find your brother now. _Stupefy_! I don't want depressed George back. I've grown rather fond of _reducto_ happy George," she explained as she downed Death Eaters left and right. George still didn't look convinced.

"GO NOW OR I'LL ATTACK YOU NEXT! _PETRIFICUS_ _TOTALUS_!" Hermione yelled at the tops of her lungs and then felled another Death Eater as though to prove her point. George grinned ever so slightly before casting one last stunner and turning and running into the thick of the fight inside the bar. Surely that would be where he would find Fred.

George wove through the fighters casting curses as he went and keeping his eyes peeled for the familiar red shock of hair that he sought. Finally he caught a glimpse of it as it darted of towards the back of the pub. George changed course to follow, but was stopped by a Death Eater.

"Where do you think you're going Ginger?" the masked man asked. George merely sneered in return and attempted to stun the man. The Death Eater blocked it so George began firing every curse in his repertoire at the man. Soon he resembled something of a slug with tentacles sprouting all over his swollen purple face and lay unconscious on the ground.

"Should've just let me stun you," George muttered as he raced on in search of his twin. He dodged curses and fired back some of his own as he ducked into the kitchens. The kitchen was a mess. There were chunks of wall missing in several places, debris and dust everywhere and something was smoking in the corner. However, George didn't pay mind to any of this. He had eyes only for Death Eaters and his brother. He darted down a small hallway and burst out the backdoor into yet another fight. George immediately began casting spells and hexes.

"About time you joined us Georgie. I was beginning to think you didn't want to partake in the fun," a familiar voice spoke from off to his right. George glanced over and there was Fred. Finally. He looked alright. He had a few cuts and what was sure to be a spectacular black eye was forming, but he was alive and that was what mattered. George felt his shoulders unclench and was able to give a genuine smile to Fred.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world Freddie," he replied honestly. "Now what say you we take out the trash?" Fred smirked at his brother.

"I was just thinking the same thing."

As one the brothers cursed and hexed their opponents. By the time the Death Eaters they were facing went down for the count they were disfigured to a level of grotesque that only the Weasley Twins knew how to achieve. The twins slapped high fives after they took down the last Death Eater, only to have more come storming out of the alley.

"You folks just don't know when to give up do you?" Fred taunted as he started shooting off more curses.

"Course they don't Fred. That requires _brains_." George quipped as he transfigured someone into a statue of a true garden gnome. George flinched as another cutting curse nicked his wand arm, but continued to pour out the curses. They were outnumbered, that was for sure. Fred gasped in pain as a hex burned across his leg. George redoubled his efforts. There was no way he would let anyone take Fred away from him again. Fred and George fired off every curse and hex in their arsenal, but it wasn't enough.

Suddenly George's wand went spinning out of his hand and he cursed under his breath as he threw himself to the side to avoid a jet of green light. Fred glanced at his twin in concern and that glance was all it took. A violet jet of light shot at Fred and he didn't see it coming soon enough to throw up a shield or dodge.

"NOOOO!" George roared as he threw himself at his brother. They slammed to the ground just barely avoiding the jet of light only to have five more come at them again. George moved his body in front of his twin and braced himself for the impact that never came.

"Get off you prat," Fred demanded as he shoved his brother to the ground in front of him. George looked up and saw that James and Lily had arrived looking battered and beaten, but still up for the fight.

"Sorry we took so long," Lily apologized as she sent an orange hex at a cloaked figure that sent them to the ground shrieking in pain.

"We got a bit held up by some fool sending off killing curses every which way. I'm sure you saw his work in the kitchen. I think he took out some of the Death Eaters for us even," James commented lightly. George grinned.

"Well I for one think you have impeccable timing," he told them as he stood. "Would you mind doing the honors Fred?" Fred glanced at his brother and then rolled his eyes.

"Oh right. _Accio wand_," he called out. George's wand flew out of the darkness were the Death Eaters were grouped and into Fred's free hand. "Do try to keep a hold of it this time Georgie," Fred told his brother condescendingly as he tossed George his wand.

"Yes mum," George replied with a smirk while he snatched his wand from midair. The four of them made quick work of the Death Eaters. After some celebratory grins were exchanged Fred and George decided to head back into the pub while James and Lily stayed to watch out for more.

Fred and George ran back into the building and began making their way to the main room.

"You seen Hermione lately?" Fred asked. George shook his head.

"I left her protecting the window. If you can call it that now," George replied as a surge of fear entered his gut. "We should go check on her don't you think?"

Fred nodded, pretending not to notice the way his twins voice shook ever so slightly. "Yeah. Have you seen Nikki at all?"

"Not since I left Hermione. She was there fighting too," George responded feeling slightly sick. If anything happened to Hermione he would never forgive himself. He had just left her. The twins fell into silence as they cautiously entered the main room. It was chaos. Spells shot everywhere. Shouts and cries of pain carried through the air. The walls had gouges carved out of them from stray spells and part of the ceiling had crumbled in one area. Tables and chairs had been toppled and some blown to bits. Fred and George exchanged quick glances before diving into the fray. They battled back to back and slowly side stepped their way to the opposite side of the room. The room had never before seemed quite so large.

They were finally almost there when they were thrown off their feet by an explosion at the front door. George grimaced as he saw Sirius fly across the room and land unconscious in a heap. Fred and George leapt to their feet stiffly and prepared to change course and head for the door. A swarm of Death Eaters flooded into the pub and the twins immediately raced forward with battle cries as they fought for their lives and those around them, not hesitating for an instant. The odds were against them, but that was no reason to give in or run away.

They entered the thick of it, once again battling back to back with every scrap of determination, intelligence, and power that they had left. Then, as it all seemed to become too much, the Death Eaters started yelling in panic and fear. Most of them turned tail and ran for the nearest exit.

"What the hell?" Fred asked as he stunned one in the back as he ran away. Fred and George exchanged confused glances, but didn't let up the fight. Soon enough it became apparent what the commotion was.

Dumbledore had entered what remained of the pub and looked absolutely furious. His normally twinkling blue eyes were hard and cold as slate. He slashed his wand and a golden rope flicked out the end of it. Upon Dumbledore's instruction it quickly wrapped itself around the nearest Death Eater. He did this many more times until the other fighters in the room got the idea and began trying to round up the Death Eaters as well; whether by stunning or putting them in a full body bind. The Death Eaters scrambled to escape, hindered by their own disapparation wards. Soon the only Death Eaters left were incapacitated. Dumbledore waved his wand once again and the remaining Death Eaters that were not tied up but were unconscious or unable to move were tied with his golden rope. Then he tied all of the Death Eaters together in the middle of the room.

There was a shocked silence for a few moments as the villagers weren't quite sure what to do with themselves. Then they began cheering and screaming in happiness. Tears flowed down cheeks as people hugged and cried in relief. George spotted the woman who had helped Hermione rally the villagers by the window. She had tears silently streaming down her cheeks and a huge smile across her face.

"Where is that girl?" she questioned the room at large. "We all owe her our lives."

Several of the villagers called out in hearty agreement as they pumped their fists in the air. George's smile slowly slipped from his lips as he began looking around the room and realized that he didn't see Hermione anywhere. Surely she would be looking for him by now if she was still... His brain wouldn't even let him finish the thought. 'Of course she was,' he tried to reassure himself. This of course did nothing to slow his quick breaths or halt the fear rising up in his throat.

"Hermione?" George called out through the lump blocking his throat. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Fred looking at him, but ignored him as he darted off into the crowd He headed toward the last place he had seen his girlfriend. He passed the woman from before and she gave him a concerned look. He ignored her too.

"HERMIONE?" George bellowed frantically when she still hadn't responded. The room went silent as people moved out of George's way. Then he saw something that stopped him in his tracks and caused his heart to miss several beats. He forgot to breath. It was Nikki. She was kneeling very white faced on the floor beside a slight figure in muggle jeans and a heavy purple knit sweater. A figure that also just so happened to have very bushy brown hair.

George made a sort of strangled sound in his throat before he remembered to inhale and regained the use of his legs. He sprinted across the last stretch of floor and skidded to a stop on his knees at Hermione's side.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no," George chanted as his hands hovered over Hermione's still form. She was incredibly pale and her front was covered in blood. He didn't even know where to start.

"She's alive, but just barely," Nikki's soft voice floated through the panic clouding his mind. George sucked in a breath that tasted metallic from all of Hermione's spilled blood. She was alive. Alive he could work with.

"Help me get her on her left side," George ordered. "We need to keep the blood flowing to her heart." Nikki nodded numbly and together they rolled her over onto her side. George felt a hand clamp onto his shoulder.

"What do you need me to do?" Fred's voice asked. George shook his head and tried to control his breathing. If he lost it now he wouldn't be able to help her.

"I think I can help," a third voice announced. George whipped around to the speaker. He had forgotten he was even there. Dumbledore came forward and kneeled beside George and slowly moved his wand over Hermione's body as he performed a diagnostics spell.

"She will need to see a healer immediately," Dumbledore told George, looking him straight in the eyes. "She will need to go to St. Mungos. I will make a portkey to get her there. Only one person should go with her."

George didn't even glance around at the others surrounding him before answering.

"That will be me," he said resolutely while staring the Headmaster in the eye as though daring him to say otherwise. Dumbledore allowed a small smile to grace his lips and a slight twinkle returned to his eye.

"I thought as much," was all he said. He then grabbed a chunk of wood from the floor that looked like it used to be a chair leg and pointed his wand at it. "_Portus_," He said calmly and the wood glowed bright blue.

"Now this portkey will take you straight to the waiting area at St. Mungos. They should see to Miss Granger immediately. You will need to inform them that there was an attack on Hogsmead and they should expect several more patients before the night is out," Dumbledore explained. George nodded his head impatiently. Every second they spent talking was another where they could be saving Hermione. Dumbledore smiled slightly as though he knew what George was thinking.

"Time to go," he said as he handed over the portkey. George wasted no time in grabbing the portkey in one hand and Hermione's wrist in the other and touching her limp fingers to the piece of wood. George glanced over his shoulder and gave Fred a panicked look just before he was engulfed in blinding blue light and then was gone.

* * *

George paced back and forth in the plain white room he was forced to wait in. There were plenty of uncomfortable chairs, but he couldn't sit still. It felt like it had been hours since he had landed in St. Mungos waiting room and been swarmed by healers and their assistants. They had taken Hermione from him and he hadn't seen her since. Nor had he heard anything about her condition. For all he knew she could be-

He slammed his brain off. He refused to even think it. She couldn't be. How would he move on? It was all his fault. He should have never left her. How could he have been so stupid and selfish? If he had stayed he could have protected her. She would be safe and they would all be relaxing in the Gryffindor common room telling their embellished tales of heroism.

George kicked at a chair in his frustration. It flew across the room and slammed into the wall with a bang, knocking down some chunks of plaster. George didn't give it a second glance as he resumed his pacing. He glared around the room and his gaze, for the millionth time, landed on the door that never once opened to bring him news. At some point it all became too much and he collapsed in a chair with his head in his hands. He fisted his hands in his hair and a groan of misery escaped his lips. He could feel the pressure building behind his eyes and the ache in his chest intensified. He felt so helpless.

Just then the door finally swung open. George jumped to his feet and swung his intense gaze to the figure in green scrubs standing in the doorway. George scanned every bit of the man's face, but found no information revealed there. George took a step back. Suddenly he wasn't so sure he wanted to hear what the healer had to say. What if it was bad news? What if it was worse than he'd thought? What is she didn't make-

George shut down his brain for a third time. He pleaded with his eyes for the healer to give him good news. Finally the healer's reserve cracked slightly and a ghost of a grin appeared.

"Are you the young man who brought in Miss Hermione Granger?" he asked. George nodded mutely and never once removed his eyes from the lock they had on the healer's. "Would you like to come see her now?" the healer asked. George nodded again and began walking forward. He couldn't trust his voice to work. As it was his legs would hardly obey him. He exited the white room behind the healer and followed him down a few hallways before they finally stopped outside of a shut door.

The healer stopped and turned to face George and gave him an appraising look.

"Have you had anyone look at you yet?" he asked. George looked slightly confused and shook his head.

"Not important," he managed to say quietly. The healer smiled slightly at George's response.

"Well once you've seen her for a while I expect you to have someone come find me and I'll fix you up, understand? Tell them to get Healer Davis for you when you're ready. That cut on your cheek looks awful," Davis told him. George just nodded again and turned his unblinking stare to the closed door in front of them.

"Now I need to warn you before you go in there," George's eyes shot back to the healer, "that she looks worse than what she is. She lost a lot of blood and had some internal injuries, but she's stable for now. She hasn't woken up yet either just so you know," he explained. George nodded yet again and Healer Davis grasped the door handle, opened it, and then stepped aside allowing George to enter first. George took three steps forward until he was far enough into the room that he caught his first glimpse of her since they had taken her away.

George stopped where he stood. She looked deathly pale and more frail than anyone George had ever seen. George would have feared she was nothing but a corpse if not for the steady rise and fall of her chest. George's feet seemed glued to the floor for a moment, but then he was half running to her side. He grabbed her cold, fragile hand in his and tried his hardest to hold back the tears that threatened to flow.

"Merlin Hermione. This is all my fault. I should have never left you," George whispered as he stroked her hair. He lost the battle with his tears and they flowed unchecked down his face, stinging his many cuts and falling silently into Hermione's hair. He sat silently holding her hand for a very long time. Eventually he rested his head on the bed next to her and a short time later his exhaustion caught up with him and he fell asleep.

**AN: So? What do you think? I realized about midway through this chapter that all of this bad stuff happened in unlucky chapter 13. Lol Quite the coincidence. Review please!**


	14. Ch 14: Recovering and New Friends

**Disclaimer: Dream the impossible dream, Fight the unbeatable foe, Strive with your last once of courage To reach the unreachable star. -Unknown Source**

**My impossible dream is to own Harry Potter. **** Alas that happy honor falls to J.K. Rowling and unless I stumble upon a time turner and manage to publish the series before her then it will stay my ****impossible**** dream.**

_**Previously…**_

"_Merlin Hermione. This is all my fault. I should have never left you," George whispered as he stroked her hair. He lost the battle with his tears and they flowed unchecked down his face, stinging his many cuts and falling silently into Hermione's hair. He sat silently holding her hand for a very long time. Eventually he rested his head on the bed next to her and a short time later his exhaustion caught up with him and he fell asleep._

**Chapter 14: Recovering and New Friends**

Darkness was everywhere, but so was an unnamable sense of duty. A sense that told her she was not where she should be. What had happened? Suddenly lights flashed across the insides of Hermione's eyelids, screams echoed in her ears, an explosion, and then pain. Lots of pain. Hermione's eyes flew open and she sucked in a breath that she immediately regretted as pain flared across her chest and abdomen. It all came back to her in that instant.

The battle. They were outnumbered. They were beginning to sustain more and more injuries and then came the one that took Hermione to the ground. Her skin was sliced open across her front as though she had been slashed open with giant claws. She would recognize that curse anywhere.

Hermione attempted to sit up. She couldn't just lay here while her friends battled for their lives. They needed her. She gasped in pain yet again and had to use all of her will power to maintain a sitting position and convince her head to stop spinning so she could tell what was going on. In that moment she noticed several things: the silence of the place she was in, the blinding white, a warm hand clenching her own, and soft snores coming from somewhere down and to her left.

Hermione blinked a few more times and the room came into focus. She was in a hospital room, but she had no recollection of how she got there and it wasn't the Hogwarts hospital wing. Just then the door at the other end of the room opened. Hermione instinctively jumped from the bed and reached for her pocket to grab her wand. Unfortunately her legs did not appreciate the sudden change and refused to hold up her weight. She collapsed to the floor. To make matters worse, her wand was not in her pocket.

"Whoa there! Miss Granger! Your wounds aren't fully healed!"

Hermione lifted her head and focused on the figure at the end of the room. A young, dark haired man in green scrubs stood in the doorway in shock. A concerned look swept over his features and his hazel eyes swept over her as though looking for any fresh injuries He didn't seem to find any and rushed to her side. Hermione sighed in relief and allowed him to help her back onto the bed.

"Where is my wand? How did I get here? Who are you?" Hermione asked with a voice raspy from disuse. The healer smiled in amusement.

"Let's get you settled and make sure you didn't tear anything and then I'll answer all the questions I can," the healer suggested lightly as he pulled out his wand and cast a diagnostics spell over her.

"Everything looks okay. Nothing new anyway," he said as he stowed the wand back in his pocket.

"To answer your questions, I am Healer Davis, a healer here at St. Mungos. I am deeply sorry, but I don't know where your wand is. You were brought here without one. And this young gentleman here was the one who brought you in, via portkey by the way, so he can more than likely answer more of your questions. I'm assuming you know each other by how adamant he's been that we take care of you and not him," Davis told her with an amused smile. Hermione turned to look at the warm figure leaning against her bed for the first time.

It was George although that might have been hard for someone who did not know him very well to see. His hair looked more brown than red because of all the dirt in it. The right side of his face was covered in blood courtesy of a large gash on his cheek that had yet to be closed up. His face also was covered in dirt and ash, hiding his usually prominent freckles from view. His clothes were ripped, bloody, and filthy. Hermione turned her eyes to his hand that still laid on the bed where it had been holding hers and gasped. It was covered in dry cracked blood, as though he had been holding it to a heavily bleeding wound.

"Where did all that blood come from?!" Hermione squeaked. "You said he hasn't been checked yet. What if he's bleeding to death?" Healer Davis chuckled which caused Hermione to shoot a glare at him as she held her fingers to George's neck in search of a pulse. The healer held up his hands in surrender.

"Easy now," he tried to placate her, "It's not his blood. It's yours," he explained. Hermione let out a deep sigh of relief, not seeming to care that _she_ had been the one that had bled that much, and allowed herself to fall back onto her pillows as she pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes. It had been a long day.

"He's been in a right state waiting for you to wake up," the healer continued. "Waited hours while we fixed you up and got you stabilized. Then he was finally able to come see you and hasn't left your bedside since… Even though I told him hours ago to come get me when he was ready to be looked at. He hasn't moved an inch. He looks awfully uncomfortable doesn't he?"

Hermione turned her gaze back to George and tried to take inventory of all of his injuries from her limited perspective while she drank in every word the healer said. George did look uncomfortable. It looked as though he hadn't moved far enough away from her to even grab a chair. Instead he was kneeling on the hard floor with his upper body leaning against her bed, his face resting atop it, and his right hand stretched out to where it had been holding hers. He was snoring slightly and looked utterly peaceful, despite his battered and bloodied appearance. Hermione sighed.

"Oh George…" She raised her hand and ran it lightly through his hair, causing hundreds of little shards of glass to tumble from his dirty mop of hair. Her touch seemed to rouse him slightly as he turned his head and rubbed his nose into the sheet, wincing slightly as it rubbed against his many cuts. He opened and closed his hand a few times as though looking for something and then his eyes flew open and his head shot up. He blinked dazedly as he tried to get his eyes to focus on Hermione. Finally his brain caught up with what he was seeing and he jumped to his feet.

"Mione! You're awake! Thank Godric, I was so worried. I'm so sorr-,"

"George Weasley don't you dare apologize," Hermione said quietly, effectively putting a stop to George's loud exclamations. George stared at her in confusion for a moment.

"But Mione," he said slowly, as though she didn't understand, "It's all my fault you got hurt. If I hadn't-,"

"No," Hermione interrupted yet again. "It's not your fault George. _I_ told you to go find Fred. _I_ thought we had control over the situation enough for you to leave. _I_ am an adult and can be held responsible for my own decisions. So don't you _dare_ try to blame yourself," Hermione hissed at him as she prodded him in the chest with each emphasized word. George looked utterly bewildered, but was smart enough to hold his tongue when he saw the glint in her eyes.

"Oh… Umm… Well how are you feeling?" he asked hesitantly. Hermione glared at him.

"A more appropriate question would be, 'How are _you_ feeling?' Why haven't you let anyone check you over? That cut on your face is more than likely going to scar now since you left it for so long. What were you thinking?" Hermione demanded and crossed her arms over her chest only to wince in pain and drop them to her sides again. George noticed, but refrained from saying anything due to the death glare she leveled at him.

"I wasn't thinking Mione. Well I was, but not about me," George defended. "I was too busy pacing and worrying about you and-,"

"Kicking chairs into walls," Healer Davis couldn't help but add in, looking highly amused. Hermione and George both blinked at him in surprise, having forgotten, or in George's case not known, that he was there. Hermione renewed her glare at George.

"George! Why would you do that?!" she demanded. George threw up his hands in exasperation and looked heavenward.

"_Why_? Honestly _why_?" he started loudly. "There is no _why_ Hermione. I told you, I wasn't thinking, I was just doing. I was frustrated because they took you away and no one gave me any news for _hours_. I was bloody terrified because I didn't know if you were ok. They stuck me in an awful bland white room full of stupid uncomfortable chairs that could _not_ have been designed for humans. _So of course I kicked the chair_!" George exclaimed in frustration. Hermione's lips twitched slightly before she stopped fighting her grin.

"What am I going to do with you?" she sighed. George grinned back, seeing that she wasn't angry with him.

"Cherish me, revel in my ingenious uniqueness, laugh at my jokes, be the genius behind my pranks, and, most of all, just sit there and let me look at you," George told her as he cupped his chin his hand and widened his eyes as he stared at Hermione. Hermione tipped her head back and laughed, only to stop short and press her hand to her abdomen as she winced in pain. George quickly grew serious.

"How are you really?" he asked in concern as his hand dropped back to his side. Hermione sighed.

"I'm alright. It doesn't really hurt unless I move a certain way or if I laugh apparently. I also found out the hard way that I shouldn't try to jump out of bed yet…" George's jawed dropped.

"What?! You should know you're not well enough-," George reprimanded her. Hermione held up a hand to stop his words.

"I know. I know. I had just woken up and was still pretty confused about what had happened and then the door opened and I just reacted. I was still in fight off Death Eater mode I guess," she explained and then frowned in thought. "Speaking of which, you don't happen to have my wand do you?" she asked, her eyes almost pleading for a positive answer. George looked slightly guilty as he answered.

"No. I don't. I'm not sure who has it actually…" he trailed off in thought. Hermione frowned.

"What happened anyway? How is everyone else?" she asked. George sighed and ran his hand through his hair, dislodging several more glass shards. He frowned at them as they glittered innocently on the floor.

"Well, I found Fred out back and we were on our way back to the front to find you when the Death Eaters blasted apart the front entrance. I saw Sirius get caught up in the explosion and he was thrown pretty far by it." Hermione gasped and covered her mouth with her hands.

"I'm pretty sure he was okay," George quickly placated her. "He just got knocked out. So then a whole swarm of Death Eaters rushed in and Fred and I joined in trying to fight them off. We were really outnumbered at that point, but there was nothing else for it. Then out of nowhere the Death Eaters started panicking and running away. At first Fred and I couldn't figure out what was going on, but then we saw Dumbledore. He showed up just in the nick of time and he looked dead scary. He managed to rope up the Death Eaters that didn't run fast enough and we all helped by stunning and body binding those that we could.

"Then it was like everyone was kind of in shock that it ended so suddenly. They got over it pretty quickly though and people started cheering and clapping and crying and – and I couldn't find you. I was so scared," George's voice dropped to a whisper. Hermione slipped her hand into his, ignoring the blood. "Then when I did find you," George continued quietly as he started at their entwined hands, "Nikki was there and she looked so pale and scared and you- you were covered in blood and I thought- I thought-," George shuddered. "Anyway, so she told me you were still… you know. And so we rolled you on your side. I was trying hard not to panic, but it was just like-, like with Fred… Then Dumbledore came over. Bless him. And made us a portkey and it brought us here and, well, you know the rest," George finished, refusing to look Hermione in the eye and frowning at the blood on his hand. Hermione squeezed his hand reassuringly and the couple sat in silence for a few moments.

"May I borrow your wand for a moment please?" Hermione asked suddenly. George's head snapped up and he stopped rubbing at the blood on his hand.

"Sure," he mumbled, looking a touch confused. He pulled it out of his pocket and handed it to her.

"Now hold out your hands," she instructed as she held out the wand. George complied and held out his hands palms up.

"_Scourgify_," she said calmly as she pointed his wand at his hands. The blood disappeared and left his hands looking clean and faintly pink as though they had been scrubbed vigorously. Hermione then turned the wand to the rest of George, waved it a few more times and then nodded in satisfaction to see George all cleaned up. George said nothing as he turned his hands over and examined them.

"Better?" Hermione asked as she turned his wand around to hand back to him handle first. George smiled faintly and accepted his wand.

"Much. Thank you," he replied. Hermione smiled back and for a moment they just looked at each other.

"Hem, hem," a deep voice cleared their throat causing Hermione and George to jump. They had, once again, forgotten that Healer Davis was in the room. He raised his eyebrow at the pair, but also had a smirk on his lips.

"Well then, if you two have finished your cozy catch up am I permitted to treat… Mr. Weasley was it did you say?" he asked, looking curiously at George. George's eyes widened momentarily, but he quickly schooled his features to look just slightly confused.

"Oh, er- No it's actually Westley. You must have heard wrong," he corrected. "George Westley." The healer nodded, but still looked skeptical.

"You do look an awful lot like a Weasley though," he insisted as his eyes landed on George's once again vibrant red hair. George frowned at him.

"Yes I've heard that quite a bit, but you can't expect everyone you meet that has red hair and freckles to be a Weasley now could you?" he reasoned. The healer thought for a moment.

"No, you're right. I suppose not. Shall we get on with it then?" he asked. George just nodded as the healer raised his wand. It was all over in a couple minutes. George had all of his cuts healed and goop smeared on his various bruises to speed up the healing process. The cut on his face healed well enough and you could hardly notice the slight scar unless he stood in the correct light. The cut on his arm though he had underestimated. It left a somewhat raised pink scar behind.

"It's not so bad," George commented as he examined his forearm. "This just means I get to look like the cool dangerous twin, what with my scars and lack of ear." Hermione giggled.

"Oooh yes. I do fancy bad boys," she teased. George plastered a goofy grin on his face.

"Then I'm perfect for you babe! Just don't tell Fred that I'm more bad A than him because he'll get jealous," George told her with a wink. Hermione giggled again.

"Stop making me laugh. I'm going to hurt myself," she told him as she lightly slapped his arm. George's grin faltered momentarily, but he hitched it back up and changed the subject.

"Speaking of Fred, I definitely thought he'd have been able to finagle permission from Dumbledore to come visit by now. Usually he-,"

"Oh dear brother, do you really have so little faith in my abilities?" a familiar voice from the doorway asked. George spun to face the source of the sound with an ear splitting grin on his face.

"Freddie! It's about time o brother mine! I was beginning to think you'd lost your touch," George said as he attempted a disappointed facial expression, but the grin sort of ruined it.

"Pish posh!" Fred dismissed the very thought. "Have I ever inspired doubt before Georgie boy? Have I ever failed to deliver?" George shook his head solemnly.

"No Gred you have not," he answered with his head bowed.

"Then why doubt now?" Fred asked rhetorically. "If you must know there was much cleaning up to do and inventory to take that you oh so happily skipped out on." George's grin slowly disappeared and his face grew serious.

"And how did the inventory turn out?" he asked in a would-be casual tone.

"No one we know," Fred answered in a grim tone of voice. George nodded and turned to see Hermione with a look of immense relief on her face.

"How many then?" George asked turning back to Fred. Fred grimaced.

"Total? I think the count got to 15," he paused to let that sink in. George frowned and Hermione paled slightly.

"That many?" Hermione whispered. Fred turned his attention to her.

"They attacked the entire village, not just the Three Broomsticks. We're lucky that was all we lost. It's thanks mostly to you that we only lost one at the pub," Fred told her with a slight grin. Hermione flushed.

"It was not. They just needed some leadership and I- I stepped up to do it," Hermione tried to reason. Fred just grinned at her and shook his head.

"That's not how the villagers see it Mione. You're a right bloody hero to them. I give it another hour or so before they start flooding in here to shower you in gifts and thank yous," Fred declared dramatically. Hermione flushed further.

"I- No. You're exaggerating. And besides, they don't even know my name, so they can't find m-,"

"Ah, ah, ah," Fred interrupted. "They do too," he informed her. Hermione's jaw dropped.

"You didn't," she whispered dangerously. Fred grinned even wider.

"I didn't have to doll face. Georgie boy did it all for me," Fred told her as he gestured exuberantly at his brother. This time George gapped at him.

"I did not!" he denied furiously. Fred smiled at his brother.

"What, you think the villagers are deaf?" Fred asked his twin. "_Hermione_! _Hermione_!" he called in a high girly tone while he waved an imaginary handkerchief over his head. George scowled at his brother.

"But that's just her first name," George pointed out. Fred rolled his eyes.

"Brilliant observation Feorge. The canary in the crème is that Dumbledore called her Miss Granger while he was setting up the portkey for the two of you. So badda bing. Badda boom. Two plus two equals four. The villagers now know Hermione's full name and that she is currently in St. Mungos," Fred announced theatrically. Hermione groaned and dropped her head in her hands. George sighed in defeat. And none of them noticed the healer slipping quietly from the room.

* * *

True to Fred's word villagers started showing up to visit Hermione within the hour. They professed many thanks and some even brought their children and had them thank Hermione as well. Hermione found it all very embarrassing and highly unnecessary. After all, she did it as much to save herself and her friends as much as she did to save the other patrons.

"I just don't see why you don't tell the front desk that you don't want any more visitors if they bug you so much," Fred told her for what must have been the fifth time. Hermione sighed and sent a suffering look towards George who just smiled and shrugged. Hermione rolled her eyes and turned back to Fred who was scowling at his twin.

"Because," she started out in a slow and patronizing tone, "I don't want to offend anyone. They just want to say thank you. Even if I don't think I deserve it, it would be bad form to just turn them away without giving them a chance," Hermione explained for the fifth time. Fred rolled his eyes.

"Then stop complaining Miss I-don't-want-to-hurt-their-_feelings._"

Hermione scowled.

"I wasn't complaining. I was just wondering when this would end. It's exhausting trying to politely accept their thanks and then try to convince them that they don't need to thank me," she explained. Fred rolled his eyes yet again.

"Actually, I believe your exact words were, '_When will this torture end?'_" Fred exclaimed dramatically. Hermione blushed slightly. "And why are you even bothering trying to convince them you don't deserve their gratefulness? How many do you think you've convinced?" Hermione glared at him, but remained silent.

"Oh I dunno Freddie," George inserted. "I think she had that one bloke just about swayed," George grinned at Hermione who smiled back in appreciation. Fred furrowed his brow in thought.

"Which one? The big one with the beard or that one scrawny one who couldn't keep his eyes off Hermione's knockers?" Hermione blushed brilliantly and it was George's turn to scowl.

"That prat was lucky he didn't get socked in the nose," George growled. "But no. The one who looked like he could be Dumbledore's grandpa and smelled like tuna was the one I was thinking about," George clarified. Hermione giggled at his description while Fred laughed.

"Oh so it wasn't just me then? I thought I was going crazy with hunger and I was just smelling imaginary scents," he said with a grin. George laughed.

"Fred you hate tuna. Why in the world would you start imagining the smell of it if you were hungry?" George asked his twin incredulously. Fred just shrugged.

"I guess I just thought I was that hungry. Speaking of which, when was the last time we ate? I'm starving again," he complained while rubbing his stomach. Hermione checked her watch.

"Oh we missed lunch," she said with a frown. "Well if you want to go see if you can find us some food that'd be good. I'm starving as well. That cereal this morning did nothing for me."

"Hear, hear!" Fred and George shouted in agreement just as the door to the room opened yet again. Hermione stifled a groan and George shot her a sympathetic look. It was the woman who had helped Hermione rally the group at the window. She was a beautiful brunette with happy twinkling brown eyes. She had also brought in two children with her. There was a boy and a girl. The boy looked to be about 7 and had his mother's brown hair but striking blue eyes. The girl looked to be about 5 and was apparently very shy. She hid behind her mother's long flowing skirt and only peeked her eyes around it to see the occupants of the room. From what Hermione could see of the girl she looked very much like her mother. She had the same eyes and face, the only difference being her head of flaming red hair. Hermione's smile was genuine for the first time in hours as she looked at the young children.

"Well hello there," Hermione greeted them. "My name's Hermione," she introduced herself.

"My name's Sebastian," the boy replied immediately as he strode forward to shake her hand. Hermione grinned and glanced over his shoulder for a moment at his mother as she shook his hand. His mother looked very proud and was beaming happily. Hermione turned her attention back to the boy in front of her.

"A pleasure to meet you Sebastian," she said with a smile. "How old are you?" Sebastian grinned widely, revealing that he was missing his two front teeth.

"I just turned 7 last week," he said proudly as he thrust out his chest. Hermione giggled.

"Did you now? You're just about all grown up aren't you? When did you lose your teeth?" she asked.

"Well I lost this one," he pointed to one gap, "when I was eating some treacle tart. It just stuck right in there. And this one," he gestured again, "I pulled out because for the first one the tooth fairy came and gave me a whole sickle! Now I have TWO sickles! And guess what else!" he asked excitedly as he bounced on the balls of his feet, comically reminding Hermione of Fred and George.

"What?" Hermione asked, her eyes wide with anticipation.

"This one is loose now too!" he told her. "See?" he wiggled the tooth and it was indeed very loose as it went completely horizontal. Hermione gasped lightly.

"Wow! So once you lose this one and the tooth fairy pays you for it how many sickles will you have?" she asked. Fred and George, in the background, rolled their eyes. Typical Hermione to try to insert education into every conversation.

"Three sickles!" the boy exclaimed excitedly. "That's more money than my sister has ever had anyway," the boy commented. Hermione laughed.

"Oh really? I haven't had the pleasure of meeting your sister yet," Hermione said and looked up to where the small girl had removed herself from her mother's skirts to better watch Hermione's interaction with her brother. Hermione smiled nicely at the girl who blushed, but stood her ground.

"What's your name?" Hermione asked nicely. The girl opened her mouth to speak, but her brother interrupted.

"Her name's Penelope. She doesn't talk to _anyone_ because she's always afraid," Sebastian said rapidly, eager to turn the attention back to himself. Penelope glared at her brother.

"I'm not scared Seb! And I was _trying_ to answer!" she yelled. Sebastian just rolled his eyes and ignored his sister.

"Sebastian apologize to your sister," their mother told him quietly. Sebastian glared at the wall for a moment, but turned to his sister anyway.

"Sorry Penny," he said quietly.

"For what?" his mother pressed.

"For being rude and saying that you're always afraid," Sebastian continued. There was a slight pause in conversation after Sebastian was reprimanded that Fred and George hastened to fill.

"So Sebastian," George started.

"What do you think of Quidditch?" Fred finished. Hermione and the children's mother both groaned. Hermione because it was such an overused topic, and the mother because he son spoke of nothing else.

"I _love_ it!" Sebastian exclaimed. "When I go to Hogwarts I'm going to try out for my house team and I'm going to be either a chaser or a beater, whichever position is open. Chaser if I get a choice.

"Chaser?!" Fred and George both looked appalled.

"No, no, no young one," George said, shaking his head.

"We thought you were alright at first with the beater option, but chaser? Just no," Fred continued also shaking his head.

"What's wrong with chaser?" Sebastian asked looking confused and surprised at the twins' vehement outburst.

"Come young one and we shall reveal to you the secrets of life," Fred said theatrically as they beckoned the boy to a corner of the room and summoned a few chairs for them to sit in while they conversed. The woman watched her son follow the twins with a furrowed brow and then approached Hermione's bedside for the first time.

"Should I be worried?" she asked.

"Yes," Hermione said immediately. The women traded glances and burst out laughing.

"But no really, right now they are probably just trying to sell him on becoming a beater for Gryffindor. But let them alone with him for too long and you never know what they could be poisoning his mind with," Hermione told her seriously, but with a fond smile. The lady smiled in return and nodded.

"I'll keep that in mind," the woman replied with her smile. "I'm Heather by the way. Heather Sanders," she said as she stuck out her hand for Hermione to shake.

"Hermione Granger," Hermione responded as she returned the hand shake. "Though I suppose you have figured that out by now," she said with a wry grin. Heather looked slightly sheepish by smiled regardless.

"Yes I have, as has most of the village. No one has taken lightly what you did back there," she said. Hermione blushed.

"I just did what seemed… best? At the time. I didn't try to be a hero or anything," Hermione tried to explain. Heather smiled at her.

"Those are the best heroes," she told her with a bittersweet smile. "The ones who just set out to do good, to save lives, and not to seek glory and fame."

Hermione smiled slightly in return.

"Well when you say it like that…" The women both laughed, but it was quickly overpowered by loud hoots and shouts of laughter coming from the corner. Hermione and Heather turned to look and saw all three boys in a heap laughing their heads off.

"Boys! Honestly! If you don't calm down you're going to get kicked out! This is a hospital!" Hermione raised her voice to be heard over their merriment. George and Sebastian immediately began taking deep breaths and attempting to calm themselves. It mostly worked save a few _manly_ giggles here and there. Fred on the other hand continued to laugh uproariously.

"I say let them!" he yelled through is laughter. "It's not like they feed people properly here anyhow! I'm starving! Absolutely delirious with hunger!" Fred shouted and began pounding on the wall.

This of course threatened to set Sebastian over the edge again, but he managed to control himself.

"Fred! Honestly! No one is making you stay! Go get food you ridiculous man!" Hermione scolded him.

"But I get so Looonneely!" he whined. "You've stolen my twin away from me! I can't get him to leave here for _anything_." Hermione rolled her eyes and sighed.

"George, go with your pathetic brother and get some food. Make sure you bring something back for me. Would you guys like something?" Hermione asked Heather politely, ignoring George's dropped jaw. Heather shook her head smiling.

"But Mione-," George began whining. Hermione snapped her head back to face him and shot him a fierce glare that immediately shut George up.

"If you know what's best for you, you will leave with Fred now. The two of you are driving. Me. Around. The. Bend," Hermione all but growled at the poor boy. George visibly gulped, but Fred's severely depleted food supply must have caused him to lose all sense of self preservation.

"What do you mean the two of us? I've been nothing but a saint! It's Georgie here who-,"

Hermione wished that she had her wand so that she could incinerate Fred on the spot. As it turned out, that wish was soon to be granted as the door opened yet again. This time though it was thrown open forcefully and a boy with messy black hair and another with long shaggy black hair strolled into the room.

"The fun has arrived!" the latter sang out.

"Oh shut it Black," Nikki said as she entered behind Sirius and James, thumping Sirius in the back of the head as she passed him. Lily, Alice, Frank, and Remus followed, causing a momentarily very crowded room before it automatically expanded to accommodate for the new arrivals. Peter was conspicuously absent.

"Ow! That was uncalled for," Sirius complained as he rubbed the back of his head. Nikki just rolled her eyes and refrained from commenting.

"Here's your wand Mione," she said as she tossed a thin strip of wood to Hermione. Hermione reached out her hand and caught it by natural reflex. She gapped for a moment at the very thing that she had just been wishing for.

"You're my new best friend," Hermione said to Nikki in an awed tone, still staring at her wand. Nikki looked at Hermione as though she thought she'd lost it.

"Erm, ok then," she said.

"Hey! What about me!" Fred exclaimed. "How could you just replace me like-," Fred stopped abruptly as he found Hermione's wand pointed unwaveringly at his chest. He raised his hands in surrender and for once kept his mouth shut.

"I swear to Merlin Fred, one more obnoxious outburst and you will wish you had started out life a girl." Fred gulped visibly, a mirror image of his brother 5 minutes before. Hermione lowered her wand and Fred sat down in the chair in the corner with his arms crossed like a petulant child. Hermione collapsed back on her pillows and pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes while she moaned something that sounded suspiciously like 'Why me?' A giggle penetrated the silence that followed. Hermione removed her hands and looked down, toward the source of the sound.

Little Penny looked back with adoration and mirth in her eyes.

"I want to be just like you when I grow up," she announced. Hermione blinked.

"What? _Why?_" she asked stupidly. Penny giggled again.

"Because boys are scared of you," she said, glancing at Fred. Fred opened his mouth looking offended, but a glare from Hermione had him snapping it shut again. Penny giggled again.

"See?' she said. Fred glared at the girl and Hermione couldn't help but smile and chuckle slightly.

"I suppose you're right about that," she admitted.

"And my mommy told me that you saved a lot of people and that you're really brave," Penny continued. Hermione blushed furiously.

"Well- I- You see-," she gave up her stuttering for a moment and sighed. "I wasn't the only brave one. Everyone in this room was there save you and your brother and they were all very brave," Hermione told the girl. "In fact without your mother things might not have gone as well as they did. She was very, very brave." Penelope's eyes widened in wonder as she looked up to her mother.

"Really mommy? You saved people too?" she asked. Heather looked slightly uncomfortable for a moment before smiling as well as shrugging.

"I suppose I did," she answered. Penny beamed at her mom.

"Wow. My mum is cool," Sebastian said as though it was a new thought he was trying out. Heather laughed at her son who was still on the other side of the room sitting with Fred and George.

"It's okay if you still want to think of me as boring ol' mum," Heather told him with a smile. "It might be less of a shock to your system." Sebastian just nodded, still looking slightly bewildered.

"So anyway," Sirius filled the silence in his typical tactless fashion. "We brought food."

"FOOD!" Fred and George yelled in unison as they nearly trampled poor Sebastian and then nearly attacked Sirius in their attempt to get to the food.

"WHOA!" Sirius yelled as he held up his empty hands. "Frank has it," he said pointing at the tall sandy haired man.

"Thanks Sirius," Frank grumbled as the twins came bounding over to him. He held up his wand and pointed the business end of it at the twins causing them to stop a good foot and a half in from of him.

"If you want the food you need to give me space and only attack it once I'm safely away," he explained. The twins nodded their heads rapidly as they nearly drooled at just the thought of food. Frank lowered his wand and reached into his pant pocket to pull out a tiny picnic basket. He placed it on the side table by Hermione's bed and tapped it twice with his wand, causing it to rapidly grow into a huge basket that had already begun giving off scents of its contents. Frank leapt back from the basket as the twins rushed forward like starving Hippogriffs.

"Hey! Leave some for me!" Hermione shouted at them. "I swear you two are worse than Ron," she complained. Fred and George froze and looked up at Hermione with shocked and wounded expressions.

"What?" George asked.

"No one is worse than Ron," Fred told her.

"We are offended-," George continued.

"We are _hurt_-," Fred added.

"That you could even think to make the comparison," they finished together. Hermione just rolled her eyes while Heather looked amused at their antics and Sebastian and Penny laughed.

"Just get me a plate. I can smell Sheppard's pie and that horse feed they gave us was _hours_ ago," Hermione said as she breathed deeply through her nose.

"Hear, hear!" the twins cheered as George made Hermione a quick, but very full plate, and Fred made his own. Hermione took the first bite and sighed happily. Fred began scarfing his while George was still making his plate and his stomach let out a very loud growl. Everyone in the room who was not eating laughed and George smiled slightly as he stuffed an entire roll in his mouth.

"Ahh, 'at's be'er," he sighed through a mouthful of food after he was about midway through his plate. Hermione coughed and it sounded suspiciously like the word 'Ron'. George glared at her as he struggled to swallow down the impossibly large mouthful. Hermione raised her eyebrow as she watched. George narrowed his eyes.

"At least I'm only like this in times of desperation," George told her. Hermione smiled.

"Yes, we do have _that_ to be thankful for," she said sarcastically. The trio finished their food and the group fell into contented chatter.

"So where is your husband?" Hermione asked Heather as she watched Fred, George, James, and Sirius have a pumpkin juice drinking contest while Sebastian and Penny cheered on their favorites and Frank and Remus took bets. Heather smiled sadly as she watched Penny laugh and squeal.

"He died," she said quietly. Hermione gasped slightly.

"Oh I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have-,"

"No, no. It's alright," Heather reassured her as she turned to give her a sad smile. "It's good to talk about him sometimes I think."

Hermione only nodded, still embarrassed over her assumption.

"He was a wonderful man. Great with Seb. He never got to meet Penny. He was murdered while I was pregnant with Penny. I was about six months along when I got the floo call. He was an auror so it wasn't- It wasn't entirely unexpected. Still a shock mind you. I didn't really think it would ever happen, not to us anyway. We were so happy," she stopped for a moment to compose herself. Hermione politely waited, somehow sensing that the older woman just needed someone to talk to.

"I went through a bad time for a while. I wasn't myself and being pregnant didn't help. I blamed the ministry for a long time for allowing my husband to die. I hated anything to do with them. I knew somewhere inside that I wasn't being rational, but at the time it didn't matter. I moved out of our flat in London, bought a small cottage on the outskirts of Hogsmead, and we've been there since. Last night was a real eye opener.

"It was then that I realized exactly what my husband died for. It was like he was there, whispering in my ear. _This_ is why. I wanted to stop _this_. _This_ is what I sacrificed myself to prevent. And now I'm just not bitter anymore. I've finally accepted his death. I'm moving on. I didn't even notice how heavy the weight on my shoulders was until it was lifted. And I understand so much _more_ now. I want to fight too. I want to put a stop to what my husband died to keep from happening. I just- I don't know _how_. And I can't risk my children." Heather stopped again and wiped her eyes and chuckled.

"You probably think I'm crazy telling you all of this," she said with a wry grin. Hermione shook her head, her own eyes slightly misty with tears after listening to the heartache this young mother had already suffered.

"No I completely understand. One of my good friends was murdered too. A couple of them actually. It was really… hard to move on. I say hard, but that doesn't seem like a strong enough word. I had it easier than others though, so that helped me keep perspective. One of the ones who died left behind his brother," Hermione told her as she watched George laugh at some unknown joke across the room.

"It tore him apart. He stopped living. He hid in his apartment all the time. Stopped going to family events because it was just too _hard_. We all tried to help him, but he only wanted help from one person and that person was gone. It was heartbreaking to sit back and do nothing."

The women fell into silence as they watched the others romp and joke across the room. It somehow seemed muted to their ears as they were both lost in their own thoughts of death and loss. Hermione heard Heather sniff slightly and glanced over at her to see the lady fighting tears.

"I miss my husband," she gasped out as she lost the fight with her tears. Hermione could no longer stop the tears from cascading down her own cheeks and opened her arms to the woman she barely knew. Heather sat on the bed next to Hermione and leaned on her shoulder. Hermione rested her head on top of Heather's and they both cried silently for the sadness in their lives with only the occasional sniffle.

"What is going on?" George suddenly exclaimed as he caught sight of the two women sobbing on each other. "What happened?" he demanded as he raced to Hermione's side looking panicked.

Heather slide from the bed and stood, wiping her face quickly before her children could notice.

"N-Nothing," Hermione said with a small smile while she wiped her cheeks as well. "We- We were-," Hermione and Heather exchanged glances, both feeling rather silly at the moment. Heather giggled and tried to continue Hermione's failed explanation.

"Umm. We were- We just-," she said as she gestured in the air. Hermione giggled this time and Heather couldn't stop the chuckle that escaped her lips as well. Soon both were laughing hysterically. George looked utterly bewildered. One minute they were sobbing all over each other and the next they're laughing their arses off.

"Women," he grumbled as he shook his head and walked away. This only caused Hermione and Heather to laugh all the more. It was a few minutes before they were able to gain control of themselves and begin breathing normally again. Hermione turned to Heather, her eyes still glittering happily, but a look of utter seriousness upon her face

"If you're serious about wanting to fight I can help you," Hermione told her. Heather looked surprised.

"Really? How?" she asked looking bewildered and slightly suspicious. Hermione smiled at her reassuringly.

"Well I know who you need to talk to. You need to talk to Professor Dumbledore. Just tell him I sent you and that you need a way to fight and he'll know what to do. You need to be absolutely sure though. This isn't something to be taken lightly. This is war," Hermione told her. Heather nodded, a fire and determination entering her eyes.

"I understand. I've never been more sure of anything in my life. Well except maybe marrying Jeremy, but other than that, this is ranked in first place." Hermione smiled at the woman. Everyone chatted and visited for a long time after that. Lily, Alice, and Nikki made their way over to Hermione and Heather at some point and they were soon all laughing at Heather's hilarious stories of married life. Penny came shortly after that and curled up in Hermione's lap. They talked for a while longer until Heather realized that Penny had fallen asleep on Hermione.

"Oh dear. Is that the time?" Heather asked as she looked at her watch. "We stayed much later than I'd meant to. I need to get some dinner in these kids and get them off to bed." Heather began rounding up Sebastian while Hermione gently roused Penny.

"But muuuumm! I was having fun with the guys!" Sebastian complained loudly. Heather frowned at him and he turned his sullen expression to the floor.

"Don't worry Seb," George told him as he clapped him on the shoulder. "We'll keep in touch," he told him with a wink.

"Really?" Sebastian asked, looking eager.

"Oh course!" Fred chimed in, slapping his hand onto the opposite shoulder. "We'll come visit you next Hogsmead trip."

"Yeah all of us will!" James agreed loudly while Remus and Sirius nodded their agreement.

"Promise?" Sebastian asked delightedly, but with a small reservation of doubt in his eyes.

"We solemnly swear," all five boys said with their right hand raised.

"And that's a Marauder's promise," Sirius informed him. "We never go back on Marauder's promises." Sebastian's face bloomed into a full smile.

"Great! When's your next trip?" he asked. The boys all looked at each other and shrugged.

"We'll figure it out and owl you," Remus told him.

"Brilliant!' Seb exclaimed, looking more ecstatic by the thought of receiving his own owl post than he did about his new friends visiting him. Everyone laughed.

"C'mon Seb. Let's go home," Heather told her son with a smile as she held a still sleeping Penelope against her shoulder. "And I expect you to keep in touch with me as well,' Heather said with a stern, but playful look towards Hermione. Hermione grinned.

"And I expect the same from you," she told her. The women smiled at each other one last time and then Heather bid her adieus and she and her children left the room. Hermione slouched back against her pillows with a lazy grin on her face, glad to have another friend in this crazy world.

**AN: Everything resolved? Everyone happy? Oh and for those who may be wondering, it will be later revealed in the story that Heather is a half-blood (her mom is a muggleborn) which is why Seb got money from the tooth fairy for his teeth.**

**On a completely unrelated note. I about had a heart attack this week. I had this chapter nearly completed and saved to my flash drive on Tuesday and then washed my flash drive in the washing machine… And then dried it in the dryer… All on accident of course. Then miracle of miracles it still worked and everything was still on it afterward. Phew!**

**Reviews make authors happy!**

**Oh and speaking of reviews and happy authors, we broke a hundred reviews after the last chapter! SQUEEEEE! Lol I just wanted to write squee... But anyway, great job everyone! You're all awesome! :D**


	15. Ch 15: The Pot Boils Over

**DISCLAIMER: Harry Potter and his universe are not mine. I know this may upset the few of you who were delusional enough to think that it was mine, but you'll have to get over it just like I did. **

_**Previously…**_

_"C'mon Seb. Let's go home," Heather told her son with a smile as she held a still sleeping Penelope against her shoulder. "And I expect you to keep in touch with me as well,' Heather said with a stern, but playful look towards Hermione. Hermione grinned._

_"And I expect the same from you," she told her. The women smiled at each other one last time and then Heather bid her adieus and she and her children left the room. Hermione slouched back against her pillows with a lazy grin on her face, glad to have another friend in this crazy world._

**Chapter 15: The Pot Boils Over**

"Finally," Sirius moaned a few moments after the door clicked shut behind Heather and her children.

"Sirius!" Hermione, Lily, and Alice hissed in unison.

"What?" Sirius asked, shrugging his shoulders. "We need to talk."

Everyone in the room fell silent and somber. They had yet to truly discuss the events of the night before and the repercussions it may have had for both them as a group and as individuals. After a few moments of silence where no one seemed to want to start off the discussion George decided to take charge. He waved his wand at the door a few times and then returned his wand to his pocket. All eyes turned to him.

"No we'll be warned if someone comes and no one will be able to hear us through the door," he explained. "So I think we should start by getting a better picture of what all happened last night. I know bits and pieces from everyone, but nothing solid. I'll start shall I?"

So then George told his tale of events. He only slightly embellished them, more to keep Fred happy than for his own personal enjoyment. Fred decided to go next since his was more or less the same as George's.

"Well I started out with George and everyone at the window. When it broke things went a little wild. Nikki and I fought together for a bit…" Fred glanced at Nikki briefly. She was concentrating very hard on her fingernails and showed no emotion. Hermione and George traded glances, each sure that there was a story there, but Fred continued as though nothing had happened. He told them about chasing after a Death Eater who had slipped past them and ending up passing James and Lily battling a crazy Death Eater who was throwing curses everywhere and ending up out back where George soon met up with him.

Hermione went next, starting her story when George had left the battle at the window. She told everyone about the battle and how things had gone downhill after George left. She spoke of how they were outnumbered, but managed to hold their own. Then she told them about getting hit with the curse, _Sectumsempra._ Immediately after hearing Hermione speak the name of the spell Fred and George leapt to their feet with their fists clenched.

"That _git!_" Fred yelled angrily.

"The bloody bastard. I'll _kill_ him, I swear," George growled looking, well, murderous. Hermione frowned at the two of them.

"You'll do no such thing. We need him to-,"

"We can figure it out without him," Fred said with a glare. "First George's bloody ear and now-,"

"Forget my ear! He did his damnedest to kill Mione!' George interrupted his twin, the back of his neck bright red in his fury.

"Stop it!" Hermione yelled. "He doesn't know what he's doing. He-,"

"DOESN'T KNOW?!" George exploded. "Doesn't know my _arse_! He knows _exactly_ what he's doing! I bet he was bloody well _enjoying_ himself! The _bast_-,"

"George!" Hermione yelled, her checks turning slightly pink in anger as she leaned forward as far as her body would allow. She couldn't quite cover up her wince of pain. George made to hurry forward to help her, but she slapped his hands away.

"Don't touch me when I'm angry with you!" she yelled, shocking George into stillness.

"But you're hurting-," George started.

"I know bloody well what I'm doing George Weasley! Now you listen to me. Don't you dare lay a wand, finger, or use any other type of revenge on Severus Snape." A gasp was heard throughout the room as the others were informed for the first time who the caster of the curse was. The Marauders, Frank, and Nikki looked every bit as livid as Fred and George did. Alice looked shocked and angry while Lily looked faintly sick.

"But Mione-," George tried.

"No George! I don't want to hear another word about it! We have to keep appearances! If we attack Snape then he'll get suspicious. Besides, we need him later if my strategy works out," Hermione told George with a steady glare, ignoring the immense pain in her chest from the yelling and the position she sat in.

"Strategy?" George asked.

"Yes. I'll get to that another time. It still needs fine-tuned,' Hermione explained in a testy tone of voice. George looked torn, like he still wanted to argue his point, but it also pained him to have Hermione upset with him and she was obviously in pain.

"Alright," he said hesitantly. "How about I promise not to do anything for now and we can discuss this more later," he asked looking nervous about her reaction. Hermione seemed to be in thought for a moment or two before slowly nodding her head.

"Fine. I don't see myself changing my mind or backing off though," she warned him. George just nodded.

"Am I allowed to help you now?" he asked quietly. Hermione had the grace to look slightly embarrassed and nodded her consent. George reached forward and helped her recline back onto her pillows which he adjusted for her. Hermione let out a sigh of relief as the pain in her chest receded.

"Better?" George asked. Hermione nodded and gave him a half smile.

"Yeah. Thanks." George smiled and took her hand in his before he perched himself on the edge of her bed.

"What are boyfriends for? So what happened after- after that?" he asked, shooting a half glare at Fred telling him to sit down. Fred glared back saying that George wasn't the boss of him and that they would talk later, but sat none the less. Hermione saw the exchange and sent George a grateful look.

"Well, I remember Nikki running up to me and checking my pulse. Then she protected me from the Death Eaters still coming in. You were wonderful by the way. Thank you," Hermione said as she turned to Nikki. Nikki's cheeks went ever so slightly pink and she just shrugged and gave Hermione a slight smile.

"Then there was a loud explosion and that's the last that I remember. I passed out," Hermione finished. The room was quiet for a few moments before Nikki filled it with her story. She also fought at the window and yes she and Fred fought beside each other for a time before he ran off. Then Hermione went down and her blood was everywhere. So she ran over and saw that she was still alive and a sitting duck, so she made sure that no one could finish her off. Then the Death Eaters blew up the front entrance, but she couldn't just leave Hermione there. So she stayed and fought the few that still tried to gain entrance through the window while everyone else ran to help at the front. Then Dumbledore came and you all know the rest.

Lily and James jointly told their version next. They had been in the back when a rush of Death Eaters came and tried to force entrance. The group there managed to incapacitate them all just in time for another group to come. This group had the crazed Death Eater in it. He just shot off killing curses everywhere, not seeming to even care who got hit. Lily and James went after him, figuring the sooner he was taken out the better. He lead them on a bit of a chase that went to the kitchen and then out into the main room before Lily finally caught him with a knock back jinx that James quickly followed up with a well-aimed body bind curse. They then ran back out back thinking the others would need their help, only to find Fred and George about to get clobbered with curses.

Their combined shield charms managed to save the twins from the spells sent their way and then the four of them finished off the rest. After Fred and George left they had a relatively easy time of it, which they later found out was because all of the Death Eaters had managed to gain entrance through the front so they had stopped trying to get in the back. Sirius and Remus went next. Telling of how they battled at the front and how it never seemed to end. Then they got separated in the fray and when the explosion went off Sirius got thrown and knocked out and Remus was thrown off his feet and twisted his ankle, but managed to hold on and continue to fight until Dumbledore arrived.

Frank and Alice had been window defenders and fought there until some Death Eaters had managed to get by and the fight was taken to the middle of the room. Frank told everyone how impressed he was by Alice's fighting skills and cool head while in battle and that he was trying to convince her to become an auror as well. Alice just blushed and said she was thinking about. They told everyone of how when the explosion happened they also ran to help hold back the crowd at the front until Dumbledore arrived. After the last story was finished the group sat in silence for several minutes as they digested everything.

"What about Peter?" Hermione finally asked, breaking the silence. "Is he alright?" James and Sirius scowled slightly at the mention of their cowardly friend.

"He's fine," James said shortly.

"Didn't even get a scratch, the cowardly git," Sirius grumbled. Hermione frowned and looked slightly worried.

"Well it's not like we didn't already know that he wasn't exactly cut out for this kind of thing…" she tried to justify. James looked angry.

"Well it's still a bit of a shock to his friends who thought they knew him for six years. It's one thing to hear about his true nature, but quite another to witness it yourself." Hermione bit her lip. She really should have expected this.

"Well… I still think if we gave him a chance…" Sirius snorted, interrupting her.

"He just blew his chance Hermione. He didn't give a damn if we all died last night, so long as he didn't have to risk his own life." Hermione's frown deepened.

"I still… I mean the sorting hat had to have put him in Gryffindor for a reason right? So he has the courage in there somewhere. We just need to help _him_ realize that. I know he has self-esteem issues. That's plain to see. I think if we can help him gain some self-confidence and establish some self-worth he can really improve and help us," Hermione tried to reason.

"Or maybe his newfound confidence will just help him turn us in to You-Know-Who faster," Sirius grumbled.

"_Sirius_," Remus reprimanded, looking surprised at his friend. Sirius looked at his lap, looking slightly guilty, but looked back up quickly with a look of resentment on his face.

"Well you know he did do it once. What's to stop him this time?" Sirius asked. The room was silent as no one quite had an answer.

"Well we all know that I agree with Sirius," Fred announced. "I don't trust that slimy little squit." James looked torn. He was normally a very loyal person, but how could he trust Peter after he had deliberately caused his and Lily's deaths? Remus frowned in thought, thinking very hard.

"I don't trust him either," Nikki agreed. Fred looked surprised that she would agree with him, but quickly covered it up.

"We all know where I stand," Hermione said looking sad. George looked to be in pain as he looked between his brother and his girlfriend. No matter what he said he would upset one of them.

"I agree with Hermione," he said after a beat of silence, sending a resolute yet slightly apologetic look to Fred. It didn't matter though because Fred was avoiding looking at him entirely.

"I agree with Hermione too," Lily said while Alice nodded. "We need to help him this time around."

"Well I'm staying out of this. I hardly know what you lot are _talking_ about for one, and for two I don't really know Pete that well," Frank said looking utterly confused. Alice giggled and patted Frank's arm.

"It's alright dear. I'll explain later," she said while looking imploringly at Hermione who nodded slightly to show her agreement. Everyone then turned to look at Remus and James, both could go either way. Remus was still lost in thought while James looked distressed and ran his hand through his hair. He was in the same position George had been in. Whatever he decided would upset one of the two most important people to him. He opened his mouth to speak just as Remus made his decision.

"I think we should give Pete another shot too," Remus told them. Sirius glared at him, but Remus calmly held his gaze until Sirius looked away.

"Well you agree with me right Prongs?" Sirius asked his best friend, with hope in his eyes. James looked anywhere but his best friend's face.

"Well…" James sighed. "I- I need more time to think," he finally announced. Sirius looked bewildered and slightly angry.

"Prongs buddy maybe you don't understand. He's the reason you and Lily end up _dead_," Sirius barked. James glared at Sirius.

"I understand that actually Padfoot," he snapped. "But there is more to it than just that. All I can think is that if this battle had happened last time, what happened to Peter then? I know _I_ didn't think one thought about Peter until Hermione noticed him and had him hide. What did he do last time? Did he fight for his life in terror wondering why his friends weren't helping him? Was that when the Death Eaters confronted him first about becoming one of them? Was it because we didn't think about how he would react and how he might hold up that he ended up going to their side? It's not just black and white Padfoot," James tried to explain while he ran his hand through his hair again. Sirius looked slightly ashamed, but still defiant.

"He virtually killed your wife Prongs," Sirius attempted one last time.

"I know," James said quietly. "And for that I can never forgive him… But if I could keep the man who could sink that low from ever existing wouldn't it be worth it? If we could save him from himself… I just need to think," James said as he shook his head to clear it. Sirius opened his mouth yet again.

"Sirius enough," Remus interjected. "Let him come to his own decision. He'll decide on his own just like the rest of us." Sirius looked like he wanted to argue more, but clenched his jaw and kept quiet. The room was silent for a while longer as everyone entertained their own thoughts. George settled in closer to Hermione and drew his arm around her shoulders and she allowed her head to rest on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

"I'd better get going," Frank said quietly after a while. "I need to be up early for my training." Everyone nodded their understanding and a chorus of goodbyes called out to him as he stood from his seat, closely followed by Alice.

"I'll walk you out," she offered. Frank nodded and the two of them exited the room leaving it as silent as it had been before the disruption. Soon afterward Alice returned with the suggestion that they all return to Hogwarts seeing as they only had a day's permission to visit and it was getting rather late. The visiting students all grumbled their agreement and rose from their seats and began wishing Hermione goodbye and a speedy recovery.

"You all can let Dumbledore know that I'll be staying," George told them, not even bothering to move from his spot. They all nodded tiredly, having already expected this. Then they wished their final goodbyes and left through the door. Fred hadn't so much as glanced at George the entire time. George sighed. He knew that Fred just needed some time to stew and that he'd come around in the end, but he always hated the rare disagreements they got into.

"Well I suppose we should get to bed then," George said. Hermione did not answer.

"Mione?" he asked as he leaned forward slightly to get a better look at her. She was sound asleep. He had no idea when this had happened, but there was no way he was risking waking her up when she had so readily trusted him enough to fall asleep in his arms. He kicked off his shoes, flicked his wand to put out the lights, and snuggled down into the bed beside her, her beneath the blankets and him on top. He buried his nose in her hair, wrapped his free arm low around her waist to avoid her wounds, and drifted off into a deep, peaceful sleep.

It was not much later that the door creaked open yet again. The shadow of the man entered first, quickly followed by the man himself. He smiled slightly as he noticed the couple sound asleep in the bed and moved closer to them. He raised his wand and directed it at Hermione. He gave it a little wave and then nodded in satisfaction. With one last glance at the sleeping couple, Healer Davis exited the room.

* * *

Hermione awoke feeling better rested and safer than she could remember in a long time. She blinked sleepily as she tried to get her brain to catch up to her body. A soft snoring sound rumbled directly behind her head and a heavy arm was draped across her waist. She smiled to herself, snuggled closer, then closed her eyes and relaxed, enjoying the moment while she could. She stayed that way for several minutes before she decided she needed to get up. She slowly leaned away from George and tried to untangle her legs from the sheets without waking him.

Apparently she wasn't stealthy enough because just as she was about to swing her legs over the edge of the bed George's arm tightened around her waist and pulled her across the bed and back against his body. He then buried his face into her hair and Hermione heard a faint mumbled 'no'. She smiled as her stomach flip flopped and a feeling reminiscent of sunshine filled her up. She decided it was very nice to feel wanted. Regardless of her feelings on the matter though, she really did have to get up.

"George," she said quietly, "I need to get up." A faint growl was the only response she received, coupled with a further tightening of his arm on her waist. She smiled fondly and giggled.

"No really George," she pressed on. "I _really_ need to get up." She felt George shake his head no behind her.

"Not ready yet. Too early," he mumbled sleepily in her hair. Hermione sighed, but was still smiling.

"George, I don't think you fully understand the situation. Mother nature is calling and I really don't think it would be wise to ignore her much longer," Hermione explained. George groaned, but did nothing to release her from his grip. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Fine. How about we make a deal. You let me go and I promise to take care of business and come right back. Pinky swear," she told him as she hooked her smallest finger around the much larger pinky on the hand that was being used to hold her in place. George said nothing for a few moments. Hermione couldn't tell if he was ignoring her or thinking about her proposition.

"And when I come back you might be rewarded with a kiss for your trouble," she added.

"Deal," George said immediately, loosening his grip. Hermione rolled her eyes as she slid out from under his arm and the blankets. She rose from the bed and only winced slightly at the stiff feeling in her abdomen and chest. She then went to the bathroom and took care of her business. When she returned to the room it was to see George awake and waiting for her return. He was laying on his side with his head propped up in his hand and his eyes slowly roving over her.

"You look wonderful," George commented as his eyes took in her rumpled appearance. Hermione snorted. Her clothes were wrinkled from sleeping in them, her hair was a bushy mess, and she was still a bit peaky from the blood loss not even 48 hours before. She knew she was a mess. George on the other hand… He looked tantalizingly attractive. His hair was ruffled and mused. His eyes were open, but still had that sleepy look to them as they twinkled happily. Then of course he still had his toned body that had just the right amount of muscle in all the right places.

"What? I'm serious," George told her, bringing Hermione out of her thoughts, and her ogling. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"I'm a mess George. I don't look all that attractive when I'm put together, let alone when I've just rolled out of bed. I'm not saying I think I'm ugly or anything. I like how I look. I'm just being realistic here," she told him factually. George frowned.

"You don't think people find you attractive?" he asked, sounding confused and surprised. Hermione sighed and sat on the edge of the bed, but turned sideways so she was still facing George. George's frown deepened.

"You pinky swore," he said seriously. Hermione smiled at the look of disappointment and slight accusation etched on his face.

"You're right, I did. Not that you'd even heard of pinky promises until today," she said as she lay down beside him and allowed him to pull her close, the look disappearing from his face to be replaced with one of contentment. She turned her body onto her side to face him as turned onto his back. She rested her head on the soft area where his shoulder met his chest and he wrapped that arm around her to hold her close.

"I think you're attractive," George said suddenly, breaking the comfortable silence that hung in the air. Hermione looked up at his face in surprise to see him staring at the ceiling as though contemplating something. Hermione didn't say anything in return. She didn't know what to say.

"Sirius thinks you're attractive too," George grumbled, looking slightly irritated for a moment before turning to face her with an earnest expression. "I think you have a pretty figure, and a kind, beautiful face, and I normally wouldn't think anyone could pull off your crazy hair, but somehow you do and I love it and I wouldn't want it any other way."

"George-," Hermione attempted to interrupt, a blush dusting her cheeks rosy pink.

"I'm not done yet Mione," he continued as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You're eyes are my favorite though. I never thought I'd have a thing for brown eyes, but yours get me every time. I can always tell what you're feeling by looking at your eyes. They can be glittering in anger or glinting in determination, sparkling with interest, warm and kind, and even a few times I've seen mischief in them. I think that was when you won me over. The first time I saw mischief in your eyes it was like I missed a step going down the stairs you know? Took me completely by surprise and ever since I've been completely enthralled with you. My favorite though is when you look at me sometimes and they just get really warm and soft looking," he finished smiling warmly at Hermione's slightly shocked expression. Hermione was speechless. What was she supposed to say to all _that_? She searched his face and saw nothing but honestly there.

"Oh," she finally breathed out and blushed. She wanted to smack herself for how stupid she sounded. George didn't seem to mind though as he smiled down at her. Then he was leaning closer and closer until their lips connected and Hermione's eyes fluttered shut.

* * *

A few hours later Hermione was pacing and waiting for Healer Davis to return and let her know whether or not she was allowed to go back to Hogwarts. She was getting antsy and restless. She had things she needed to be doing and she needed to be at Hogwarts to accomplish them. She was so caught up in her own thoughts she failed to notice how George seemed to be lost in thought as well.

George was frowning and staring off into space while he sat in one of the stiff armchairs the hospital provided. He was subconsciously tapping the end of his middle finger against the armrest as he thought. Hermione stopped pacing as she noticed the state of her boyfriend.

"What's wrong?" she asked, placing her hand on his bicep. George jumped slightly not having noticed her approach and turned to look at her with a very distant expression.

"Sorry, what?" he asked, still not looking like he was paying attention. Hermione sighed, but looked at him fondly.

"What's wrong George?" she asked as she placed a hand on his cheek.

George sighed and closed his eyes while he rested his face on her palm. He said nothing for a few moments and Hermione began to think maybe he was just going to ignore her question.

"It's Fred," he admitted finally. Hermione looked confused for a brief moment before understanding lit her features.

"I hate it when we fight," George continued, "and it's worse now after… You know…" He sighed and pulled his face away from her hand so he could run his hand through his hair. Hermione dropped her hand to her side with a concerned frown on her lips.

"I wish I could just agree with him to make him happy, but I can't when it's someone else's life on the line. I wish I could make him see my point of view. _Our_ point of view." George sighed in frustration again.

"He'll come around," Hermione said quietly as she squeezed his shoulder. George nodded, but didn't look at all soothed by the reassurance.

"I know how Fred is," George told her. "He'll groan and complain and make a big deal of it. He needs to stew and just be mad for a while. I know he'll get over it eventually. I mean, he has to. It's just in the meantime… It's awful. I hate it when we fight," George mumbled to his shoes. Hermione placed her finger under George's chin and forced him to look up at her face. Only once George's deep blue eyes locked onto her warm brown eyes did she speak.

"I'm here whenever you need me. Just tell me what you need me to do," Hermione said simply with small, reassuring smile. George smiled back.

"Thanks Mione."

"Anytime."

The door swung open and Healer Davis entered. Hermione dropped her hand from George's face for the second time and they both turned expectantly to the Healer.

"Miss Granger I've just gone over the last of the notes on your health and I do believe you're well enough to return to Hogwarts," he announced, smiling at the pair. Hermione beamed and George did a fist pump accompanied by a loud whoop.

"Honestly George," Hermione said rolling her eyes even as she chuckled. George just grinned back and winked.

"Yes I am sure you are both excited to be rid of this place," Davis said with the same smile. "Hospitals aren't exactly known for their fun. As it stands though I still want you to check in with medi-witch at Hogwarts every other day until she deems you well enough to go without, just to be safe. If you experience any unusual pain in your chest or abdomen area go straight to her. I'm counting on you Miss Granger to look after yourself and put your health first. Nothing dangerous or physically demanding for a few weeks still understand?" Hermione nodded, still grinning happily at being allowed to leave. She really hated hospitals after everything. Merlin knows she spent enough time in them to last her a lifetime.

"And you Mr. Westley, I expect to continue to look after her and make sure she takes it easy and does as she's told by both myself and the school medi-witch, understand?" George jumped to his feet and cracked off a salute.

"Sir, yes Sir!" he shouted obnoxiously. Hermione rolled her eyes and shoved his shoulder.

"Knock it off you prat," she said while Davis just chuckled at him. George gave Hermione a lopsided grin that made her stomach decide to do a cartwheel.

"Alright then now that that's settled, you're free to go," Davis said with a smile.

"YAY!" George cheered. He looped his arm through Hermione's and started skipping them around in circles while doing a little jig. Hermione laughed and tried to keep up. The Healer grinned and shook his head at their antics as he left the room and shut the door behind him. He would miss getting to come in and check up on them. They certainly were more enjoyable to look after than Mr. Walbus on the 2nd floor. He shuddered mentally as he imagined having to go up there and deal with the old coot later that day. Who would have thought getting attacked by Red Caps could make a man so cranky.

Hermione and George returned to Hogwarts to find a tension amongst their friends. There seemed to be a divide that was not there before. It was a rift caused by the difference of opinion in regard to Peter and where his loyalties lie. This became painfully apparent that weekend when they tried to have another defense lesson in the Room of Requirement.

"I refuse to teach the rat how to fight! I put up with it before, but I refuse to teach the enemy how to fight against us! It's just stupid!"

"Fred he's not the enemy."

"Like hell he's not! He did it once he'll do it again!"

"There are different circumstances this time though. He doesn't have to go down the same path."

"Of course he doesn't _have_ to, but that doesn't mean that he won't!"

Fred and Hermione were locked in a battle. They stood five feet apart with their wands clenched in their fists, both red in the face; Fred from shouting and Hermione from attempting to keep her temper in check. It was not going well.

"Fred, just listen-,"

"I am done listening Hermione. It's your turn to listen to me. I know it might be hard for you to admit that you're wrong because you're so used to being right-,"

"Oy! Don't say that to her!" George yelled, unable to sit back any longer. Fred whirled to face his brother, his face twisted in anger.

"George no-," Hermione tried to interrupt.

"Why not? It's true isn't it?" Fred yelled. "Oh but that's right. Georgie thinks his precious Hermione walks on water doesn't he? He can't think for himself anymore. He just does everything she does!"

It was George now who looked furious. Red raced up the back of his neck at an alarming rate.

"It was my decision Fred. It had nothing to do with Hermione," George said through clenched teeth. Fred snorted.

"Yeah right. Ever since I've been back it's been Mione this and Hermione that. You think the sun shines out her-,"

"_Shut up_," George snarled, sparks shooting out the end of the wand he had clenched tightly in his fist.

"Oh is Georgie losing his temper?" Fred taunted with an awful sneer on his face. "You don't like it when I insult your _girlfriend_? Well then how would you like it if I told you that she's a stuffed shirt who can't keep her nose out of her books long enough to have any real fun and she's turning you into the same thing!"

George lost it at that point. He saw red and forgot everything except how angry he was at Fred. He forgot his friends watching the fight with shocked and scared expressions. He forgot his girlfriend standing not five feet away. And he forgot his wand clenched in his fist as he charged at his brother with a roar of anger. An expression of surprise flitted briefly across Fred's face before quickly disappearing and he returned to looking livid.

George managed to get a good punch in Fred's gut, but Fred was already retaliating by landing a solid punch to George's jaw. George stumbled slightly, but took it in stride and socked Fred in the eye for good measure. Fred cursed and grabbed George's arm to twist behind his back.

"Stop! Stop! Please stop!" Hermione was yelling with tears glistening in her eyes, completely unsure of what to do. She was in shock. She had never really seen the twins even argue before and now they were in front of her fist fighting. She ran forward to try and pry them apart.

"Get out of it Hermione," George growled at her as he slammed back into Fred, knocking him off balance just enough to regain control of his arm.

"What's wrong Georgie? Doesn't Hermione already fight all of your battles for you?" Fred panted while sneering at his brother.

"Shut your mouth you bloody git! You don't know anything!" George yelled at his brother. Fred just laughed an empty humorless laugh. It gave Hermione chills. She had never heard Fred like this before and it scared her.

"George, please stop this," Hermione begged him quietly. George ignored her as he was still staring down Fred.

"Yeah Georgie. Listen to your girlfriend like you always do," Fred told him, his face still twisted up in a sneer. George made to lunge again, but this time Fred was ready and side stepped him at the last second causing George to run past him. Fred laughed at him and it was enough for George to take advantage of the distraction and kick Fred's legs out from under him. Fred hit the ground hard and George was ready to continue the attack when Hermione finally remembered herself.

"_Petrificus Totalus_!" she cried out. George's arms and legs snapped together instantly and he toppled to the floor on his back.

"Thanks Granger," Fred said as he stood and began dusting himself off.

"Don't you _dare_ thank me Fred," Hermione snarled viciously. Fred looked surprised. He had never heard Hermione talk like that, not even to Malfoy.

"Do you even care what you're doing to him?" she demanded, her fists clenched and her tears leaking from her eyes and spilling down her cheeks now. "Does it matter to you at all that not even a week ago he was still trying to come to terms with your _death_? Now you come in here and start pulling this shit. All he wants is to be happy with his brother, but no you have to ruin everything with your jealousy when you don't even have anything to be jealous of! George will pick you every time. In the battle he chose to go find you, not stay with me. I don't blame him, but I do feel sorry for him that he would give his life to ensure that you keep yours this time and you treat him like this in return. You are an _arse_ Fred Weasley," Hermione told him, not bothering to wipe the tears from her face.

Fred stood there in a shocked silence. It wasn't often that Fred was speechless, but it did seem fitting that the person to put him in his place would be Hermione Granger. Seeing this Hermione waved her wand at George's stiff form and released him from her curse. His limbs sprang apart and he immediately got to his feet and walked out of the room, not looking at anyone. There was silence for a moment as a hurt look swept across Hermione's face. She quietly wiped at her tears and turned back to Fred.

"You _will_ go talk to him and you _will_ fix this," she said quietly before turning and storming from the room as well. Fred sighed and ran his hand through his hair with a pained expression.

"Well you sure did a great job screwing that all to hell," Nikki told him as she also left the room. Fred said nothing and just stared after her with one hand still sitting atop his head, his fingers threaded through his hair. Lily and Alice silently followed their friend from the room, not sparing a glance at Fred.

"Sooo we're not practicing today then?" Sirius asked to break the silence. James and Remus both slapped the back of his head and then, shaking their heads at their friend left the room, shooting sympathetic glances Fred's way.

"That'd be a no then," Sirius said more to himself that anyone else before following his friends and leaving Fred alone in the room with his thoughts.

**A/N: Heyyyy! So a huge shout out to all of my lovely reviewers to whom I have not been replying. **** The way I figure it you'd prefer me to work on my chapters and just send out a mass thank you in my notes. THANK YOU! And a special thank you to randomD for your song suggestion. I did listen to it and I loved the song and totally agree with you. **

**So ya'll know the drill. Your thoughts are free so why not give them to me? (That rhymed in case you didn't notice. :D) **


	16. Ch 16: Working it Out

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I'm just borrowing J.K. Rowling's toys to play with for awhile and then I'll give them back. Pinky Swear.**

_Previously…_

"_You will go talk to him and you will fix this," she said quietly before turning and storming from the room as well. Fred sighed and ran his hand through his hair with a pained expression._

_ "Well you sure did a great job screwing that all to hell," Nikki told him as she also left the room. Fred said nothing and just stared after her with one hand still sitting atop his head threaded through his hair. Lily and Alice silently followed their friend from the room, not sparing a glance at Fred._

_ "Sooo we're not practicing today then?" Sirius asked to break the silence. James and Remus both slapped the back of his head and then, shaking their heads at their friend left the room, shooting sympathetic glances Fred's way._

_ "That'd be a no then," Sirius said more to himself than anyone else before following his friends and leaving Fred alone in the room with his thoughts._

**Chapter 16: Working it Out**

George was sitting alone on the floor of the Quidditch locker room. His back was against the hard wall and his head was tipped back as he stared unseeing at the ceiling. He didn't know how long he'd been there, only that his backside was numb and his knees ached from having them drawn up to his body for so long. He did nothing to alleviate his discomfort though. He felt he deserved the pain for attacking his twin, over a girl of all things.

The door creaked open, but George didn't bother to turn his head to look at who it was. He already knew. He could recognize that presence anywhere. The person in the doorway paused for a moment before entering. Slow but purposeful strides brought the person over to the corner that George had claimed. They stopped beside George and then slid their body down the wall until they mirrored the position George had taken up for the past hour or so. The new presence looked to the ceiling as though searching for what held the red headed man's attention. They sat that way in silence for several minutes, both looking up to the ceiling.

"Do you remember when we almost blew this place up with that potion?" Fred asked, suddenly breaking the thick silence. George simply jerked his head down and back up slightly to indicate yes he did.

"I think Oliver would have skinned us alive that day if Angelina, Katie, and Alicia hadn't backed us up on our 'alibi'. I think Oliver still knew though, he just didn't have the proof. Practice was hell for the rest of the season anyway… They never could get that scorch mark off… It's odd not seeing it here..." Fred spoke quietly. George stayed silent through the story and showed no signs that he had heard, but Fred knew instinctively that he was listening very carefully. They fell into silence once again as George sat still staring into nothing while Fred's eyes seeming to be staring intently at an invisible spot on the ceiling.

"Remember when McGonagall almost caught us after we pulled that prank on the house elves and we had to hide in that cupboard for hours until she finally left that corridor. I thought she had us caught real good that time. We got out of that though. I think she suspected too, but again we left no proof." Fred fell into silence once more while George sat stoically beside him.

"Or how about when we-,"

"Fred just spit it out," George finally interrupted quietly. Fred sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that we've always been there for each other. Whenever one of us got into trouble the other was always there with them," Fred explained slowly as though he was choosing his words carefully.

"You need to work on your stories," George told his twin after several beats of silence. Fred laughed, albeit it was very short and lacking its usual exuberance. The pair sat in silence a good while longer. George sat unmoving while Fred fidgeted and toyed with the frayed hem of his muggle jeans.

"I'm sorry George," Fred said, no longer able to stomach the cold silence his twin was exuding. "Those things I said… I shouldn't have. I didn't mean to… I was just… I don't know. Frustrated I guess?" Silence lapsed around the boys yet again.

"I'm sorry too," George finally spoke. He paused and then turned his head for the first time to look at his twin. "I shouldn't have attacked you. I knew you didn't really mean any of it, but…" George raised his hands helplessly in hopes to convey his feelings on the matter without having to speak them. Fred nodded in understanding. The twins didn't speak for a few more minutes. The silence was no longer cold, but nor was it comfortable for either of the men.

"I didn't change because of Hermione," George said quietly as he looked down at his hands resting on his knees. Fred sat quietly waiting for his twin to finish what he had to say. "I changed because of you," George said with a surreptitious look over to his brother. Fred looked surprised and confused so George continued.

"You died Fred. Just because you're back now doesn't mean that the whole… experience didn't change me," George said with difficulty. "I had to… relearn my whole life. I wasn't _me_ anymore. Or maybe I was me, just me. For the first time in my life I-I wasn't a part of Fred and George. I had to learn how to be just-just George. Just George wasn't as fun as Fred and George. Just George had… black thoughts. Just George didn't smile or joke. Just George didn't see the fun in life. Just George didn't _live_ life. Just George only… existed for his family's sake... Just George would have given just about anything to become Fred and George again, because Just George didn't want to exist if it meant being _Just_ George." George had to stop there and breathe deeply for a few moments. Fred waited patiently with a slightly pained look twisting his features, knowing instinctively that George had more that he needed to say.

"I was in an awful place Fred," George finally continued in a whisper. "I didn't… I don't know what would have happened to me if Hermione hadn't come to the flat that day. Because of her I-I guess I started seeing the fun in life again. She helped me forget for just a little bit and that was enough to get me to see that I could be happy again. I don't know what it is about her… She's just… She saved me Fred. From myself. And I think I'm helping her too. She has her own issues from the war. I think… we need each other. We're good for each other. And I-I think I… I might even love her and that scares the shit out of me. I think I need her a hell of a lot more than she needs me. I've never- It's different from anything I've ever…" George stopped and rested his elbows on his knees as he ran his hands through his hair. Fred sat quietly beside his twin and just watched as George struggled to find the words to describe what he was going through. The boys sat in silence for several minutes. It was one of the very few times that they weren't sure what the other was thinking.

"Things are so different Georgie," Fred whispered quietly while he intently examined his hands. "I just- It just seems like we're on two totally different levels. I feel like I got left behind," he said so quietly that had George not been sitting still and silent beside him he would have missed it. George looked at his twin with a pained expression.

"It's like we have to try now for what used to just happen," George elaborated for his twin. Fred nodded solemnly. "Fred losing you is something that… I wouldn't wish that kind of pain on anyone… Well maybe Voldemort or Bellatrix. But not even the Malfoy's deserve that kind of…" George waved his hand vaguely in front of his chest over the area where his heart lay.

"There wasn't a chance of me going through that and then just being able to be the same as before. It doesn't make a difference that you're back now. I mean it does, but for this it doesn't. I'm already changed and I can't just… unchange… I want things to be the same as before, but at the same time… I don't know… I'm afraid of a lot now. For you. For Hermione. I never want to go back to- to that place." George trailed off and blinked rapidly at his hands while Fred stared at his twin as though just then realizing something. Fred scooted himself towards his twin until their hips touched and rested his arm across George's back. George immediately sought the comfort of his twin's familiar embrace and buried his head against his chest. The thump of Fred's heartbeat calmed George like nothing else could. The brothers sat that way until the tears had dried on George's checks and their backsides had grown cold and numb.

George finally pulled away and rubbed his cheeks with the backs of his sleeves while Fred graciously made a show of readjusting his sweater to allow his brother a few moments to collect himself

"So Quidditch?" George suggested with a grin. Fred grinned back and opened his mouth to answer before frowning and closing his mouth again.

"Ah, actually George I think I need to go talk to Hermione first. I think I was a bit of an arse to more than just you," he said with an apologetic grin. "But if you wanna get warmed up I'll meet you out here. I could really use a good hard work out." George smiled fully at his brother. He knew that if Fred was going to go apologize to Hermione of his own free will then he was good and truly sorry. Things might just start looking up.

"Sounds brilliant," George said as he stood stiffly and then turned and pulled Fred to his feet as well. "While you're up there see if James and Sirius will let us use their brooms. These school ones are shoddier that the ones from our Hogwarts days," George said with a laugh. Fred smirked at his brother.

"Well of course they are Georgie. What else would you expect?" Fred teased.

"I guess I've just been spoiled by the finer things in life," George said with a sniff and a mock disdainful look about the musty changing room. Fred grinned at his brother.

"We'll be okay George," he said after a few moments of silence. George stepped forward and grabbed his brother in a fierce hug.

"I know we will Fred. We've got each other now. The rest will all work itself out with time." Fred squeezed his twin back in response and then dropped his arms and took a step back.

"Now go beg forgiveness from my girlfriend and hope to Merlin that she doesn't see fit to curse you into next week," George said with a smirk. Fred rolled his eyes, but his eyes looked ever so slightly wary. He had never truly gotten on the witch's bad side before and he found that it was a slightly terrifying place to be.

"She's probably sulking in the astronomy tower with a book that she's glaring into submission," George told Fred helpfully with a grin. Fred treated George with a lighthearted glare of his own.

"Ah, I'm sure it'll all be fine. How could she possibly stay mad at _me_? And besides she's not that scary," he lied. George just laughed.

"You better head out mate. The longer you leave it the worse it gets," he advised. Fred grimaced.

"Alright, alright. I'm going. I expect you to be fully ready for Quidditch when I get back though. No wimping out on me," Fred said while his squinted at his brother and pointed his finger accusingly. George grinned and raised his right hand.

"I solemnly swear."

* * *

"Hermione? You up here?" Fred cautiously peered out from the doorway of the astronomy tower with his wand in his hand, just in case. A slight sniff to his right alerted him to a presence. A sniffley one.

"Mione? That you?" Fred asked warily.

"Don't," a female voice said quietly, but forcefully. "Don't call me that."

"Don't call you Mione?" Fred asked in confusion. "But George does so I thought-,"

"Just George. He's the only one," the voice that was unmistakably Hermione commanded, sounding as though she were congested.

"Ah. Ok then," Fred agreed nervously as he left the doorway and found Hermione slumped in a corner with an open book in her lap dotted with tear stains. Fred hesitated and then stowed his wand in his pocket before slowly lowering himself down on the patch of floor beside the crying witch. He figured he deserved whatever curses she threw at him considering how much he had obviously upset her.

"So umm, I talked to George," he started hesitantly. Hermione said nothing. She was sitting cross legged and staring up at a large puffy white cloud in the sky. Her wet cheeks glistened slightly in the sunlight and for a moment Fred thought he might have seen what George saw when he looked at the young witch beside him.

"I umm… I didn't… We…" Fred sighed in frustration and ran a hand through his hair. He truly was awful at apologies. His and George's strained conversation was the epitome of eloquence where Fred's apologies were concerned.

"We worked it out," he decided to say. He glanced at Hermione to see her reaction and sighed again when of course there wasn't one. Of course she wouldn't make this easy. It seemed she in George had this in common.

"Look," he said as he turned his body towards her. Hermione simply continued her study of the cloud. "Those things I said. I didn't mean them. I was just- I was mad," he said as though thinking it out for the first time. "And I wanted to make George mad too so I said things that I knew would set him off. I didn't- I didn't _mean_ them." He paused here and again waited for a reaction. He frowned in frustration when she did nothing and continued.

"Okay then. Umm about Peter. I don't… I don't trust him. I don't trust him with my life and I don't trust him with George's life. I just got my brother back and I'll be damned if I'm going to make it easy for us to get torn apart again. So- So that's why I'm against… You know the whole teaching him thing," Fred explained with a vague hand gesture. Hermione still showed no sign of having heard him and Fred resisted the temptation to shake her by the shoulders and yell in her face to get a response. He restrained the urge though knowing that it would not be the reaction he wanted. He ran his hand through his hair yet again, wondering what else she could possibly want to hear.

"Hermione, George is the most important person on the planet to me and he always will be. It's… hard… to see him drifting away from me. I can't… I don't know what to do without him. And it's like…" Fred stopped and ran his hand through his hair as he searched for the words that were eluding him. He turned his stare up to the cloud Hermione had been studying, missing Hermione peeking at him from the corners of her eyes.

"It's like when I died life kept moving him along and now that I'm back I've got to hurry to catch up, but I can't. And it's like… It's like we're not _the same_ anymore and I don't know how… I don't know how to make it alright. I've always been the one with the plan and- and the direction I guess. Now I-I don't know what I'm _doing_. I'm all wrong-footed. I've always just jumped in with both feet, but I don't know where to jump, or when. I'm just… I don't know. Did that make any sense?" he asked, dropping his frustrated gaze back down to Hermione to see her watching him carefully. She nodded slowly, still refraining from speech. Fred accepted her nod and with a giant sigh and turned his body back so he and Hermione were once again side by side and he was able to lean back against the cold stone of the castle wall and observe the cloud as it lazily floated across the sky. Hermione returned her gaze to the cloud and the pair sat in silence for several minutes.

"I'm sorry," Fred said suddenly. Silence greeted his confession for a few moments until a rusty giggle escaped Hermione's lips. Fred turned to stare at the witch in disbelief. He pours out his soul to the woman and then she has the gall to laugh at his apology.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Hermione bleated out quickly, seeing his facial expression. The apology was slightly marred by her inability to contain the rest of her laughter regardless of the hand covering her mouth as though she could physically stop the giggles from exiting.

"I-It's just… you could have skipped most of the lengthy explanations," Hermione informed him once her giggles had subsided. "All I needed to hear was that you were sorry. I knew you didn't mean what you said about me. I was mostly upset about the way you treated George. It hurt me to see him hurt I guess. It's also nice to know that it's not just George who feels out of sync," she said. Fred stared at her, his jaw hanging open in incredulity. He had struggled through the discomfort of the situation to find the right words and in the end all he'd needed to say were two little words. He closed his mouth and shook his head mutely. _Women_.

"So George told you… About… Er yeah," Fred said awkwardly after a few more moments of silence where they both went back to examining the cloud.

"No," Hermione said. "But it's pretty obvious. Well for me it is I guess seeing as I knew you both before. You're different now. You both are. But what could you expect really? I mean up until your death you guys largely had the same experiences in life. You were together in everything, the good and the bad. So you grew the same. In the same ways and at the same rate. Not physically of course, but mentally and emotionally. So then you were thrust apart by life and given different challenges to overcome and that threw everything off. Now it's just a matter of readjusting and time and things will fall back into place. Things will never be how they once were of course, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. You have each other again and that's what's important. So long as you have each other everything else will pale in comparison. George will- George'll be okay." Her voice broke slightly on the last word and she took a moment to compose herself.

"It was just awful when you were gone," she said quietly after she collected herself. "He was just… A shell. He didn't laugh or even smile. If he did it wasn't real. It was scary. I thought he was going to… Well, I didn't think he would ever be okay again. And I wasn't there for him through it either and I could have been. I will never forgive myself… So selfish," she whispered as tears fell from her eyes and down her cheeks once more. She wiped at them furiously as though embarrassed. Fred looked at her sadly. He had had a brief glimpse of how George had been before and it wasn't something he ever wanted to have to witness. He scooted towards the crying witch another few inches and put his arm around her shoulders. Hermione hesitated and then leaned over and sobbed into his chest. Fred just held her in silence until her tears had run their course.

"You know Hermione," Fred started slowly and quietly while resting his chin upon her head, "You shouldn't blame yourself. I mean you weren't in the best place either. No one was there for you either," Fred told her reassuringly. Hermione shook her head gently.

"I didn't have anything truly wrong with me and George did. I should have been able to just suck it up and help George. I didn't. I knew… I knew he was in a bad way. I knew no one was getting through to him. I knew and yet I did nothing," she spoke in a self-loathing whisper. Fred was silent for a few moments, thinking through his words.

"Mione… er, Hermione, I saw some of what George was going through. I saw how bad it got. It ate at me that I was the cause of all of his pain. I couldn't do anything but watch. He had truly bad days and he had okay days. He never had good days. He was stuck in a rut and I'm not saying that you're not great, but I don't think there was anything that you could have done to get him out of it. I think this whole trip kind of woke him up in a way that staying around all of those reminders of me never could. Do you get what I'm trying to say?" Fred said gently. Hermione nodded, but said nothing as she thought it over.

"I still… I could have tried. I hate myself for not trying," she confessed softly. Fred sighed.

"But Hermione, you _did_ try. It's all thanks to you that you guys ever ended up here in the first place. Had you not gone to him and bullied him into Christmas dinner he would have been alone in the flat when Diagon Alley was attacked," Fred told her. Hermione's eyes widened slightly at the realization and she leaned away from Fred, studying him carefully. "Hermione what do you think George would have done if he had been there alone?" Fred asked quietly. Hermione locked her eyes onto Fred's and saw the pain behind them and knew they were thinking the same thing.

"I don't think he… I don't think he would have tried. I think he would have… Just let it happen. I know there have been… other instances. I could just see it on his face sometimes. I think he would have just let himself be killed," Fred voice cracked slightly on the last word and he averted his eyes from Hermione's steady gaze as he gathered himself.

"I know he didn't… You know… Before then for the family's sake, but I don't think he would have truly defended himself if he had been attacked. He- He didn't have any will to live. He didn't care. And I think- I think he would have seen it as his way- his way out…" Fred trailed off and the pair sat in silence for a few awkward moments.

"But that's not what happened and I have you to thank for that Granger. So thank you," he told her earnestly. Hermione searched Fred's eyes before she nodded slowly in acceptance.

"I guess I can see how you would see it like that," she said after a few more beats of silence. Fred rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"C'mon Hermione. It's not just me seeing it like that. It's entirely thanks to you that George is alive and we are indebted to you for it," he told her.

"Do you think George sees it like that?" Hermione asked quietly as she examined her hands folded in her lap. "Do you think… Do you think that's why he's- that's why he's with me? Because he feels like he owes it to me?"

Fred couldn't restrain the laugh that bubbled up at Hermione's voiced insecurities.

"Stop it," Hermione glared at him. "He has no other real reason to want to be with me. I mean come on. You said it yourself. I'm just a boring bookworm and George is… George is George," she confessed helplessly. "Sometimes I wonder… I wonder if George might feel a bit obligated to have a relationship with me whereas for me… For me George is… This sounds so stupid and girly in my head so I'm sure it will be much worse out loud, but for me George is like _the one_. You know my soul mate. I've never- I mean he's my first real boyfriend so I'm not really sure what this is supposed to be like but I mean with Ron I never felt like- like this," Hermione babbled nervously. Fred gaped at her.

"George is your first boyfriend?" he asked incredulously. Hermione flushed a bright pink and glared at Fred.

"Well yes. Dating options were pretty thin while hunting down horcruxes and defeating Voldemort," she snapped as she defended herself. Fred held up his hands in surrender.

"Alright, alright. I was just- What about Krum? Didn't you go with him to the ball?" Fred asked. Hermione sighed.

"I never saw anything romantically with Victor. Yes, we went to the dance together. Yes, we became pen pals. Yes, I might have kissed him once just to try it. But that was it. He asked me out and I said no. And before you ask Ron and I never amounted to anything either," she said testily.

"I was just curious," Fred said while still looking a bit bewildered at Hermione's confession. They sat in silence once more as Fred's mind whirled and Hermione stared out over the horizon. After a few minutes of this Fred turned to look at Hermione as though in a new light.

"Well just so you know, George isn't dating you because of some odd obligation. He truly likes you. A lot," Fred informed her. Hermione turned and stared at Fred intently as though looking to make sure he was being honest.

"How do you know?" she asked. Fred rolled his eyes.

"Because I'm his twin. I just know these things," he explained as though to a two year old. "Well and he also told me, but that's beside the point," he said with a grin. Hermione ignored his tone and looked immensely relieved.

"You'd better not be teasing me right now or I swear I'll push you off the tower," she told him with a smile. Fred laughed.

"No you wouldn't. You couldn't do that to George," he smirked playfully. Hermione sighed dramatically.

"Oh I suppose you're right. I'll just have to hex you well enough that you spend the next week on bed rest then," she said airily. Fred laughed again.

"Well luckily for me I was being dead serious," he told her with a grin.

"Good," Hermione said simply as she returned the smile. The pair fell into silence once more and took to staring at the same large cloud overhead.

"It looks a bit like Umbridge doesn't it?" Hermione said suddenly.

"What?" Fred asked looking at her as though she just suggested they streak through the castle.

"The cloud. It looks like Umbridge. See it's got the bow on top of the fat head and the large bloated body and the sun is hitting it just right that it's got a slight pinkish tint to it. It's Umbridge." Fred sat in silence for a few moments before bursting out laughing.

"You see it?" Hermione asked excitedly. Fred shook his head through his laughter.

"I had been thinking it looked like Quirrell in a dress," Fred finally gasped out. Hermione giggled at the thought as Fred continued to laugh uproariously. His laughter was contagious and soon they were both rolling on the floor laughing hysterically. Several minutes later Hermione was gasping and clutching a stitch in her side as she tried to control herself while Fred did the same beside her.

"Well Granger," Fred said once they were both reasonably under control. "I have a date with my brother to bond while slapping bludgers at each other. I feel I have left him waiting long enough so I really must be off. But it has been a pleasure," Fred said in a regal tone. Hermione giggled.

"Ah well I shan't be keeping you away any longer then. We wouldn't want poor George to think you've forgotten him now would we?" Hermione made a passable attempt at the same tone. Fred grinned at her as he rose to his feet and brushed off his pants.

"More likely he'll think we're doing more than just talking up here," Fred said with a wink. Hermione laughed.

"In your dreams Weasley," she taunted with a smile. Fred grinned back.

"So you staying out here or can I escort you someplace?" he offered kindly. Hermione smiled but shook her head no.

"I'm okay. I think I'll just sit here for a bit longer. Maybe get around to actually reading some of my book," she said gesturing to the manuscript that lay forgotten in the corner. "Have fun with George though."

"Thanks. I will." Fred paused in the doorway and watched Hermione for a few short moments as though debating on whether or not to say something. "Just so you know you and George have my blessing. As much as it pains me to say it, you two are good for each other. And- And if you guys end up getting hitched sometime in the distant future I won't mind having you for a sister-in-law too much."

Hermione looked shocked and it took her a few moments to think up a response. "Thank you Fred," she said sincerely and perhaps with damp eyes. "That really… Really means a lot coming from you," she managed. Fred smiled at her.

"No problem. I'll see you around alright?" he said. Hermione smiled and nodded absently.

"See you."

**AN: Short chapter I know, but it's pretty darn important I think. They needed a good hash out to get them really talking about their feelings and what not. **

**So I need your feedback! I feel like I'm not as good as I could be at writing these types of scenes. They're supposed to bring people to tears, but I don't think I've quite managed it. But anyway if you all could let me know you reactions that'd be awesome. **

**And a huge thank you to everyone! Thanks to my reviewers, to my followers, and to my favoritors! You're all rock stars in my eyes. :-D Thanks!**


	17. Ch 17: It's Just What We Do

**Disclaimer: I think they just make us post these disclaimers to make us feel bad about ourselves. I mean I think it is pretty obvious that I am not J.K. Rowling and even with some well-placed Polyjuice Potion and some Felix Felicis my writing would still be woefully lacking in comparison to hers. :'-( **

_Previously…_

"_Just so you know you and George have my blessing. As much as it pains me to say it, you two are good for each other. And- And if you guys end up getting hitched sometime in the distant future I won't mind having you for a sister-in-law too much."_

_Hermione looked shocked and it took her a few moments to think up a response. "Thank you Fred," she said sincerely and perhaps with damp eyes. "That really… Really means a lot coming from you," she managed. Fred smiled at her._

"_No problem. I'll see you around alright?" he said. Hermione smiled and nodded absently._

"_See you."_

**Chapter 17: It's Just What We Do**

Things quickly went back to normal. As normal as life ever was at Hogwarts at any rate. The group of friends fell into a routine shortly after James decided that he wanted to help Peter rather than ostracize him. Peter then continued to take part in their training sessions regardless of how much Sirius and Fred grumbled about it. They trained as often as possible, although it was significantly less than they would have liked once the other students returned from break and classes began once more.

Initially there had been lots of whispers and speculation from the students when they'd noticed the three newcomers. Hermione and George had an especially difficult time of it and had to resort to publicly "claiming their territory" to stop the many propositions they both received. They each received a separate detention for the display, but agreed it was worth it since everyone seemed to finally accept them as a couple afterwards. Fred on the other hand reveled in all of the attention. He flirted and enjoyed the attention he received from the female population of Hogwarts, but never anything more. Sirius was slightly miffed at the turn of events; having grown used to being the one receiving all of the attention, but refrained from taking it out on Fred.

Hermione was often found in the library (much to George's displeasure) either studying for her 7th year classes or looking up spells and hexes for their group to practice during training. They were coming along much faster than the D.A. had. This was more than likely due to the fact that it was a much smaller group and they all had seven years of magical schooling behind them. The attack in Hogsmead had also really given them a taste of what they were up against and fueled their determination to learn and practice more than ever.

They had already made their way through shields, stunners, disarming, trip jinxes, body bind curses, confounding curses, blasting curses, various hexes, and were going to be starting Patronuses at their next meeting. Hermione had been doing her best to teach them everything Harry had taught her coupled with anything she could find that seemed useful. Some days this was easier than others. She found that when this group was focused they could go through 2 to 3 different spells in one meeting, but when they were distracted absolutely nothing got done.

For instance, the day after the Marauders and Lily finally pulled their big prank she gave up trying to get them to focus on casting a Conjunctivitus Curse and allowed them to just sit and repeated talk about how brilliant it was. Hermione did have to admit that it took a decent amount of magical talent to transfigure all of the suits of armor into colonies of bats even if it did cause mass chaos. Then there was the day that Remus received his Transfiguration essay back. It goes without saying that McGonagall was less than pleased. Remus also received a week of detention writing lines for the completion of that dare. _I must only write essays on the subject my professor assigns and not on any topic that tickles my fancy._

And of course who could forget the day that Fred and George pranked Dumbledore. The Marauders, Lily, Alice, and Nikki were all in a shocked state and there were more random exclamations of "I still just can't believe it!" than there were disarming spells being cast. Although, Hermione supposed, once again, it wasn't every day you saw your headmaster come down for breakfast in a flowery dress and bonnet and when questioned about his attire play it off like he had meant to dress that way. Then sit calmly through breakfast chatting with his surrounding staff members before finally being sent to change by McGonagall. The best part, the most astounding, was the blatant wink he gave to Weasley twins as he walked calmly out of the Great Hall. The twins of course winked back while grinning in admiration.

Hermione shook her head slightly at the memory as she grinned fondly. Only Fred and George could pull a prank to embarrass the headmaster, have him know it was them, and still get off scot free. It was just the charm of the Weasley twins. Everything was always in good fun. Although it probably helped quite a bit that Dumbledore was so easy going and fun loving.

Presently, Hermione was on her way to their prearranged meeting to begin working on Patronuses. She was running slightly early so she took her time and reminisced the past couple months. Time had moved by so quickly and so many things had changed and yet stayed the same. Their group of friends was closer than ever, and this time it included Peter. George and Hermione had gotten to know Peter better and now considered him their friend. It took time, patience, and perseverance but eventually even Fred had gotten to know Peter and began to understand him and count him as, maybe not quite a friend, but at least an ally. They had all been equally surprised to learn of Peter's role in the Marauder's prank pulling. Hermione had always pictured him as a tag along or maybe even scapegoat.

As it turns out Peter was primarily responsible for the creativity of the prank. Together Sirius and James would hash out what they wanted to accomplish with the prank, Peter would then alter the prank to make it unique and unexpected. Remus would offer any of his own suggestions to either party but was ultimately responsible for ensuring that it wouldn't injure anyone or be too humiliating unless it was on Slytherins. They were quite the team, but Hermione couldn't help but think that they didn't quite have the brilliance that was Fred and George. Or maybe she was just biased in her opinion because of her and George's relationship.

Once again a grin tugged her lips as she thought about George. He really was one of the best things that had ever happened to her. She didn't think it was possible to be this happy and content with life while Voldemort was still around, but she was. The thought of Voldemort pulled her grin down into a frown. She received the Daily Profit every morning at breakfast and there had yet to be a day when there were no deaths or disappearances reported. She felt rushed to finish training so they could get started with her plan. She hated the thought of leaving her 7th year incomplete yet again, but if that's what it took to defeat Voldemort she wouldn't hesitate to do it. This was still much more important than getting her N.E.W.T.'s.

Hermione arrived at the Room of Requirement and paced until the door appeared then entered. She was the first one there. She checked her watch and realized that she was still 20 minutes early. She shrugged her shoulders and decided to curl up with a book until everyone else arrived. She selected a large tomb that focused on strategy for small groups in battle. She only lasted a few minutes with the immense read before the quiet of the room began to bother her. Once upon a time she had been a lover of silence. Since being around Fred and George as constantly as she had been, at some point or another she'd grown accustomed to their noise and rambunctious activity. She found it much harder to concentrate anymore in dead silence.

Hermione sat up from her reclined position on the worn couch and glanced around the room for anything to break the silence. On the end table beside the loveseat across from her she noticed a Wizarding Wireless. _Perfect_, she thought to herself as she rose from her seat and moved quickly across the room to turn it on. Immediately a loud fast sound came blaring out of it. Hermione winced slightly. _Maybe not that much noise_, she thought as she tapped her wand against the contraption, successfully changing the station.

After flipping through a few stations Hermione found one that played a familiar tune. She grinned to herself before settling back onto her couch and reopening her book. She hummed softly to herself as she read about strategies that could be used by a small group to overcome a large enemy force. She hummed along more confidently as the song progressed and before she knew she was singing aloud with her book open, but turned over and resting print down over her middle.

Hermione closed her eyes as she belted out the familiar lyrics with a large smile on her face. One little known fact about Hermione Granger was her love of music. At her parent's home in the muggle world, when she wasn't occupied with a book, she was constantly wandering around the house singing along to her mp3 player, the radio, and her vast CD collection, whatever she could find really. If there was one thing she didn't like about Hogwarts it was her inability to bring her music with her. Sometimes the best way to relax after a long day was just to sit back and belt out your favorite song.

The song she was listening to now was reaching the climatic middle when the male part and female part joined together. Hermione took a deep breath and began to sing only to stop immediately when she realized hers wasn't the only voice singing along. Her eyes snapped open and she sat up from her lounged position to whip around and face the baritone voice coming from behind her couch.

"Aww c'mon Mione don't stop," George complained with a grin. "You sound good! Sing with me," he insisted as he came around the couch and plopped himself down next to her. Hermione looked skeptical and was sure that her face was flushed bright pink in embarrassment at being caught, but when George began to fearlessly sing along with the original artists she decided what the heck. He had already heard her and it wouldn't be like George at all to laugh at her lack of talent. She opened her mouth and began to sing the female part while George sang the male half. He grinned at her happily and she couldn't keep the large smile from forming on her face. They did sound really good together. Their voices blended and complimented each other nicely. Hermione's smile grew larger as they rang through the climax of the song and then faded out nicely together at the end. George and Hermione simply grinned at each other in silence for a few moments as a new song began.

"See that wasn't so bad now was it?" George asked with a grin as he nudged her side with his elbow. Hermione shook her head with a grin still stretching her lips.

"C'mere," George said softly as he tugged her against his side. She laid her forgotten book on the armrest and willingly slid over to him, curling herself against him with a satisfied sighed. This was by far her favorite place to be. Not the Room of Requirement, but beside George.

"I didn't know you could sing," George said after a few more beats of quiet while the wireless played an unfamiliar tune. Hermione chuckled.

"Well I didn't know you could either," she told him. George laughed.

"No I suppose that just never got brought up did it?" he said with a smile. Hermione smiled back and shook her head.

"I've never had anyone to sing with before," Hermione admitted.

"Neither have I," George replied. "Fred tries, but he's just awful. It's much better to just sing alone, trust me." Hermione laughed.

"You think I'm joking, but I'm dead serious. He sounds like a dying banshee," he told her with a grimace. This only caused Hermione to laugh harder and it wasn't long before George joined her. Their laughter eventually subsided and they sat in content silence a few moments.

"That song reminds me of Fred and Nikki," George told her. Hermione looked up at him in surprise.

"It does?" she asked. George nodded and Hermione furrowed her brow in thought.

"Hmm. You're right. It does sound a bit like them doesn't it? Does this mean that Fred is admitting he fancies her?" Hermione asked interestedly. George snorted.

"No. He's still in denial. But it is rather obvious isn't it?" he asked. Hermione nodded.

"For both of them. I know Nikki has trust issues and something about her mum, but what's Fred waiting for? He usually rushes into everything. I've never taken him as the type to be timid." Hermione asked. George chuckled.

"Well that's because he's not. It's really bizarre actually seeing him like this. I think what it is, is he's not used to girls not throwing themselves at him. He's always had an easy time of it. Well and I guess it might also be that he has real feelings for her and I don't think that's ever happened to him before either. He's never been much for serious relationships," George explained thoughtfully.

"What about Angelina?" Hermione asked with a look of confusion etched across her features. "They were together at one point weren't they?" George snorted and grinned at Hermione.

"Depends on your definition of 'together' I guess," he told her with a wink. Hermione still looked confused so George sighed good-naturedly.

"They weren't ever in a relationship. Well not a relationship by your standards. They saw the _benefits_ that one could provide for the other," George tried to explain tactfully. Hermione nodded slowly with her brow furrowed in thought.

"So like going to the dance together?" she asked hesitantly. George threw his head back against the couch with a loud sigh before slowly looking back at Hermione.

"Sex dear. Sexual benefits. Yes, the dance, but mostly just sex," George said bluntly. Hermione giggled and then began laughing outright at the look of bewildered confusion on George's face.

"I know what benefits men and women can offer each other George. I'm not totally naive," Hermione said placatingly as she patted his knee. George chuckled slightly and took Hermione's soft hand in his course one.

"You know what this means right?" he asked. Hermione raised her eyebrow and shook her head.

"You must be punished!" he said loudly as he pinned her to the couch and began tickling her sides furiously. Hermione only had time for a gasp of surprise before giggles and laughter choked off her breath.

"G-George! N-n-no! I'm s-sorry! P-p-please!" she gasped desperately.

"I'll teach you to trick me!" George yelled over Hermione's pleas and shrieks of laughter.

"P-please G-George! S-s-stop!" Hermione begged.

"Never!" George exclaimed just as Hermione managed to roll off the couch to the safety of the floor. Unfortunately this caused the leg George had been using to hold her captive to slide off the edge of the couch and brought them both tumbling to the floor. George caught himself on his forearms to keep from crushing Hermione, who had landed flat on her back. Hermione giggled slightly, an after effect of the tickling.

"Well that was…" she trailed off at the look she caught in George's eye. Slowly and purposefully George leaned in and kissed Hermione. She closed her eyes and reveled in the feel of his warm firm lips on hers. It was not a long kiss, but it was a powerful one. George pulled back and waited for Hermione to open her eyes.

"I think I'm really falling for you," he admitted in a hoarse whisper before planting a searing kiss against her lips. Hermione didn't even have time to blink in surprise before his lips were back on hers. She froze for half an instant, but before she knew it she was kissing him back with just as much passion as he kissed her with. She reached up and threaded her fingers through his thick red hair and sighed happily into his mouth.

"Well what do we have here?" an unwelcome voice interrupted. Hermione immediately froze and felt her cheeks heating in embarrassment. George groaned in frustration into Hermione's mouth and stopped kissing her, but didn't seem to be in any hurry to move and kept his eyes firmly shut.

"You know you are right next to a couch. You could be there and not on the floor. If it were me I'd be treating my girl right and letting her have some cushion and not just pinning her down on the hard floor," the voice continued as though oblivious to the couples obvious disdain for it's presence. George finally lifted his head and skewered the newcomer with a glare.

"Bugger off Fred," he told him before climbing to his feet and holding out a hand to help Hermione from the floor. Hermione accepted his hand and murmured a quiet thank you after she regained her feet.

"No can do Georgie," Fred continued as he plopped himself down on the love seat. "I was informed of an important meeting today. Patronuses I believe. Can't miss this one. Important stuff Patronuses," he said as he tapped the wireless with his wand, changing the station from a slow love song to a loud rock and roll number. George sighed and sent Hermione an apologetic look that seemed to say _What are you gonna do? He's my brother._ Hermione smiled to show there were no hard feelings and that it isn't his fault anyway that his brother is an insensitive prat. George smiled back and gave her a peck on the lips.

"You two are pretty sickening, you know that right?" Fred asked, having watched the entire silent conversation. George chucked a pillow at his twin's head.

"Don't believe either of us asked for your opinion Freddie," George told him as Fred caught the pillow before it collided with his face.

"You never have to ask Georgie. You know that. I give my opinions freely and generously without discrimination," Fred retorted with a smirk before launching the pillow back at George. George rolled his eyes and nonchalantly sat on the couch, allowing the pillow to fly harmlessly over his head and land with a thump some distance away behind the couch.

"Of course I do Fred. You make sure that I could never forget," George replied with his own smirk while wrapping an arm around Hermione's shoulders as she snuggled next to him with her previously forgotten book open in her lap, allowing her to tune out the twin's banter. The scene was very much typical of how the trio spent their time together; Fred and George joking and teasing each other or plotting some prank or another while Hermione sat contently and pursued her latest literary venture. This was how Nikki found them when she arrived at the Room of Requirement. She seated herself on the loveseat beside Fred claiming to not want to get too close to the notoriously love drunk couple. Hermione and George exchanged inconspicuous glances at what they saw as an excuse to share the loveseat with Fred while waiting for the rest of the group.

Nikki fell easily into conversation with Fred and George about the best candy that Honeydukes offered. Fred was adamant that it was Fizzing Whizbees while George was just as convinced that it had to be Droobles Best Blowing Gum. Nikki heard both of their arguments impartially before coming to her own consensus.

"You're both wrong," she announced, "Obviously Honeyduke's best candy item would have to be their chocolate. There is nothing better on the planet let me tell you," she told them as she stared off into space, obviously envision the glorious chocolate. Fred and George snorted in unison.

"Typical," Fred muttered. Nikki snapped her head over to glare in his direction with her eyes narrowed in warning.

"What was that Fred?" she asked in falsely sweet tones.

"Well it is," Fred informed her, clearly disregarding her various warnings. "It's so typical of a girl to choose chocolate. What is with girls and chocolate anyway? I've never seen a guy get as crazy about chocolate as I have girls."

"Well I'll have you know Mr. Sexist that Remus has more of a chocolate fixation than most girls I know," Nikki said while glaring down Fred. Fred rolled his eyes and grinned at Nikki clearly enjoying riling her up.

"Yeah well Remus is the only guy I know who legitly PMS's," Fred countered. Nikki snorted.

"I also know girls who don't like chocolate," she added. This time it was Fred's turn to snort.

"Oh really? And who would these lovely ladies be?" he asked, his tone dripping sarcasm.

"Shelby Capula, 6th year Ravenclaw, Shawnee Helbore, 7th year Hufflepuff, Tiffany Scully, 3rd year Slytherin-," Nikki began ticking off her fingers.

"Wait," Fred interrupted holding up his hand with a look of disgust on his face, "You're friends with a Slytherin?" he asked incredulously. Nikki sat up straight and with a little imagination you could almost see hackles rise up her back.

"I never said those girls were considered my friends, but so what if I'm friends with Slytherins? What's wrong with Slytherin?" she demanded hotly, her fists clenched at her sides. Fred snorted and rolled his eyes.

"You mean besides that the lot of them are foul slimy gits who don't care about anything that doesn't benefit themselves? Hmmm nothing I suppose," he answered, placing his index finger thoughtfully against his chin as he mocked her. Nikki's face heated up and a faint pink lit her cheeks as she gritted her teeth and seemed to be trying to physically restrain herself from attacking Fred by gripping the fabric of the sofa in her clenched fists.

"Well it's nice to know what kind of man you are Fred Weasley," she managed to snarl quietly, but with a vicious undercurrent, after a few moments that she used to try and rein in her temper. "The kind to judge without knowledge and blame a group rather than the individuals. You're thoughtless and prejudiced. You are lazy and selfish. Too lazy to look past the exterior and see the person beneath. Too selfish to care that you're judging people who you don't even know. And too stupid to realize when you're taking something too far and that you're better off shutting your mouth!" Nikki finished her rant with a sharp finger jab in Fred's chest while he stared at her wide eyed wondering when their bantering had become serious.

Nikki got to her feet and turned sharply towards the exit taking quick long strides to put more space between her and Fred as fast as she could. This seemed to snap Fred out of his dazed state. He jumped to his feet and whirled around to face Nikki as she marched off to the door, her back to him.

"Nikki wait!" he called after her. Nikki stopped, but didn't turn. In a deathly quiet voice she spoke.

"I've listened to enough of what you have to say Weasley. Now I'm leaving before I do something I'll regret later." With that final comment she grabbed the door handle, twisted it, and disappeared into the corridor, the resounding _Bang_ of the door slamming behind her in her wake. Fred ran a hand through his hair to vent his nerves and frustration and groaned.

"Well are you going to go after her or not mate?" George asked him with an imploring look. Fred grimaced.

"Of course. I'm just steeling myself for the curses she'll be flinging at me before I can get my bit in," Fred answered without looking away from the door.

"Well good luck,' George said with a humorous smirk. "If you're not back within the hour I'll have Holly prepare a bed for you, yeah?" Fred snorted softly.

"Better just do that now brother," he told him, only slightly joking. Fred breathed in a huge breath of air and expelled it slowly, ruffling the fringe over his eyes.

"Alright. Here I go. If I don't make it out of this I want them to play Bad to the Bone at my funeral." Fred missed George's wince at the casual mention of his death, but seemed to sense it. "Sorry Georgie, you know I don't mean it," he reassured his brother, looking at him for the first time. George smiled slightly.

"Yeah I know Freddie. You'd better hurry off now or you won't be able to catch up," he warned. Fred grimaced.

"Right you are Georgie. Well, here goes nothing," Fred sighed before taking several of his long purposeful strides and following the path Nikki had taken from the room, minus the slamming door. As soon as the door quietly closed behind the red headed man his double turned to the silent girl by his side.

"A 20 minute back and foot massage and a home cooked meal says that they'll be in relationship by the end of their talk," George wagered, holding his hand out to Hermione to seal the deal. Hermione laughed.

"You're on," she placed her hand in his giving it a firm shake down. "They have way more issues to work through than can be solved in one conversation. George just grinned in response and shook his head.

"We'll just have to wait and see then," he told her. The pair resumed sitting in silence and just enjoying each other's company.

"Oh by the way," Hermione said casually as she turned another page in her book, "I'm rubbish at cooking." George grinned devilishly at her.

"That's alright. I'll suffer through it for you love," he told her with a kiss to her brow. They fell back into silence for a few moments before George broke it this time.

"I think it's only fair that you know in advance that the only things that I've ever successfully made in the kitchen are a mess and several small fires."

* * *

Fred jogged quickly down a long corridor that ended in a staircase leading downward. Just before this staircase however was a tattered tapestry showcasing a gloomy looking interior of a home with a desolate stone spiral staircase in the center of the image. Fred swept this aside to revel the same staircase just behind it. Without hesitating he began quickly climbing in a tight, dizzying spiral. He was sure he knew where she had gone, but it still wouldn't do to be wrong and loose her. Hopefully his short cut would be enough to catch up.

Fred reached the top of the staircase and paused for a moment to catch his breath and gather his bearings. He typically avoided that staircase because of the dizzying effect it had on him, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Soon he was off again, but this time at a much slower pace. He was close and it just wouldn't do to go barreling in and scare her off. Slowly Fred creaked open the door to the Owlery and peaked inside.

He caught a glimpse of the room before he was forced to quickly duck his head back out to avoid the yellow spell being shot at him. Unfortunately he moved a bit too quickly and managed to ding his eye on the door in the process. Cursing he pressed a hand to the injured area in an attempt to ease the pain.

"Did I get you?" a feminine voice probed from within the room.

"No," Fred bit out as he pulled back his hand to check for blood. Damn. There was blood, but it wasn't too bad.

"Damn. That's twice now that I've missed you with that spell," Nikki lamented. Fred raised his eyebrow even though she couldn't see him and then winced when it upset his injury.

"Twice?" he asked.

"Yeah. The first was when you woke me up on Christmas. Although I did have my eyes closed that time so you really can't blame me," she informed him. Fred nodded sagely, once again not seeming to realize that she couldn't see him.

"No I can't I suppose," he agreed. "What spell is it?" he asked.

"Oh I'm sure you'll find out eventually," Nikki responded lightly. Fred could have sworn he heard a smile in her voice and it was that that prompted him to try gaining entry to the Owlery a second time. Hands held up to his shoulders in surrender he slowly entered the room. Nikki was twirling her wand between her fingers and seemed to be considering something. Fred stood still and waited. After a good half minute of this Nikki came to her decision and stowed her wand in her pocket. Fred's shoulders slumped in relief and he wasted no time in joining her in her seated position against the far wall.

"Don't think for a moment though that if you piss me off any more than you already have that I won't show you exactly what that spell will do to you," Nikki warned seriously.

"Didn't doubt it for a second,' Fred said with a cocky grin in place. Nikki frowned at him causing his to gulp.

"I mean, understood. No shenanigans," he hastily corrected himself. Nikki nodded in satisfaction. They sat in silence for a few minutes, neither looking at the other or making any unnecessary movements. Nikki had drawn her knees up to her chest and was resting her chin on them as she watched to owls above them sleeping peacefully on their perches. Fred sat also with his knees up, but with his back and head resting against the cold stone wall as he stared off into space.

"I didn't really mean it you know. I was just pushing your buttons because… I don't know why, it's just what we do," Fred said with a shrug after several minutes of silence still staring off into nothing. Nikki turned her head so her cheek rested on her knees rather than her chin so that she could look at him.

"I… I'm sorry that you took what I said seriously. I don't think all Slytherins are bad… I can't think of any particular ones that I know that I like, but I know they aren't all evil or anything," Fred tried to explain, but frowned and ran his hand through his hair in frustration at his lack of eloquent words. These kinds of situations had always been more of George's area of expertise rather than his.

"Is there anything else that I should be apologizing for while we're here?" Fred asked suddenly, turning to look at her. "I know I'm rubbish at this sort of thing so I think it'd be in both of our best interests to just clear up everything we can now so we don't have to suffer through this again anytime soon," he explained with an utterly serious expression on his face. Nikki couldn't help the grin that stretched across her face.

"Oh I don't know Fred. I for one enjoy you looking a bit insecure for once rather than your usual cocky self," she told him with a playful smile. Fred grinned back, thankful to be back in familiar territory. Bantering with Nikki he knew as well as pranking with George. He did it well and he did it often.

"Oh yeah? Well I wouldn't get used to it if I were you Gilliam. If Fred Weasley is one thing it is sure of himself," he told her, puffing out his chest a bit as though to emphasize his statement. Nikki giggled and gave his chest a hard poke causing him to deflate and rub the spot she had poked, while frowning at the girl beside him.

"I'll say," she said with a roll of her eyes. "If that head of yours gets any bigger you won't be able to make it up the stairs the next time you have to race up to the Owlery to apologize to me for being an insensitive git."

"Ouch," Fred said with a wince and a hand over his wounded heart. "That sounded uncannily like something someone would say to my younger brother Ron. And trust me, that is not a compliment to my baby brother." Nikki snorted.

"No generally I'd say being called an insensitive git is not a compliment," she said with a smirk. Fred grinned back and the pair fell into a comfortable silence.

"My brother was a Slytherin," Nikki said quietly after awhile. Fred turned to stare at her with wide eyes.

"You have a brother?" he asked in surprise. Nikki smiled a soft sad smile and turned away from Fred to look back at the owls.

"Not anymore," she whispered. Fred leaned his head back against the wall and expelled a long breath. What was he supposed to say to that?

"D'you… D'you want to talk about it?" he asked hesitantly. Nikki shook he head.

"No not particularly," she answered. Fred nodded, not sure if he was more relieved or disappointed. The pair grew quiet and both fell into their own thoughts.

"What are you thinking about?" Nikki asked suddenly ending the long bout of silence. Fred flashed her a slightly sheepish grin.

"That it looks like perfect Quidditch weather," he answered honestly. Nikki laughed.

"I was thinking the same thing," she told him.

"Really?" Fred asked, sitting up straighter to look her in the eyes.

"Yeah really," Nikki said with an amused smile.

"What position do you usually play?" Fred asked curiously.

"Keeper usually," Nikki answered. Fred nodded pensively.

"Hmmm well that's not really compatible with my position as beater so it looks as though we'll have to have to enlist in outside help to play. You in?" he asked, glancing up at her hopefully.

"Of course, but I think it'll have to wait until after Patronuses. Hermione would skin us alive if we talked everyone out of our meeting in favor of Quidditch," Nikki rationalized. Fred nodded in hurried agreement.

"Too right you are. She'd be livid. Speaking of which we should probably be heading back before George goes to Holly," he said as he used the wall to push himself to his feet and began dusting straw from his backside. Nikki looked slightly confused and stayed seated on the floor as she looked up at Fred.

"Why would George go see Madam Winfrey?" she asked. Fred sent a wicked grin at her.

"Why to have her get my bed ready of course," he answered cheerfully. Nikki laughed and Fred stretched out a hand to help her to her feet. She accepted without a moment of hesitation and once on her feet quickly began brushing the straw from her robes much as Fred had done previously. Fred stared at her with an odd expression on his face.

"What?" Nikki asked with a slight frown when she noticed the look he was giving her.

"Nikki… Would we- I mean, are we friends?" he asked. Nikki nodded still looking confused.

"Of course we're friends Fred," she told him simply, but it did not change Fred's contemplative facial expression.

"Do you think we'd be friends even if we didn't have our mutual friends to make us be friends?" he asked. Nikki smiled genuinely at Fred's concern.

"Yeah Fred I think we would be," she answered as she patted his arm comfortingly. Fred grinned in return and his usual cocky manner quickly followed.

"Well then our mutual friends await Milady. After you," he said gesturing grandly to the exit. Nikki grinned mischievously and pulled open the door and turned in the doorway.

"First one back wins," she declared quickly before darting out the door and allowing it to shut behind her. Fred wasted no time in darting forward to the door and wrenching it open.

"Oh no you don't!" he shouted as he took off after the dark haired girl. He sped off down the corridor and instead of taking a left towards the main staircases he took a right and ripped through the tapestry he had exited on his way to the Owlery. As bad as the tight spiral staircase was going up, it was 20 times worse going down… Especially when you rode the rail rather than use the steps like a sane person, but then again Fred had never pretended to be sane. Fred toppled off the rail and his wobbly legs gave out under him causing him to crash to the floor. This did not deter him in the slightest though as he drunkenly ran out of the tapestry and down the corridor before bursting into the Room of Requirement and tripping over his own feet. Luckily he found himself held up by sturdy arms.

"What the hell did she do to you Fred?!" a familiar voice demanded just as the door banged back open and an out of breath Nikki stumbled into the room. Her premature victory grin vanished as her eyes clapped onto Fred relaxing against George as George held him up.

"Ha. I won," Fred said weakly, but with a wide happy smile. A smile that quickly disappeared as Fred gripped his stomach.

"Oh Godric I'm gonna be sick," he muttered faintly.

"What did you do Fred?" George asked in concern.

"Stairs. Bloody stairs. Rail. Bad idea," Fred tried to explain in broken sentences with his eyes clenched shut and a hand prepared to cover his mouth at a moment's notice. Everyone in the room (which now consisted of everyone in their group) looked confused, except George. George laughed loudly.

"Shut it you bastard," Fred told him weakly. This only caused George to laugh all the more and all the more loudly. Fred grumble incoherently under his breath and shoved himself away from George who was now shaking so badly from his laughter that it was upsetting Fred's stomach more. Fred took a step away from George and had to stop and hold out his arms for balance as the room wobbled around him.

"Whoa," he said as he blinked repeatedly trying to get the room to stop moving around on him. "Bed," he muttered and a bed suddenly appeared beside him. He carefully laid himself face down on the bed and buried his face in a pillow and groaned miserably. In the meantime, George managed to get his laughter under control enough for speech.

"You alright Freddie?" he asked with a wide smile.

"Bugger off," was Fred's muffled response into his pillow. George just chuckled.

"So you thought that you'd try riding down the rail of a spiral staircase that already gives you fits when you just walk the steps?" George asked with insincere kindness. Fred only groaned in response. The room's occupants slowly began grinning as they cottoned on to why Fred was behaving the way he was.

"And why would you think to try something like that Freddie? Usually you avoid that staircase like it's a nesting dragon," George asked with a wide grin.

"Had to win," Fred grumbled into the pillow. George raised his eyebrows and turned to Nikki for clarification. Nikki had a half smile on her face and shrugged at George's curious facial expression.

"I challenged him to a race back to here," she told him. George laughed.

"You just couldn't let the good lady win Gred?" George asked. Fred began to shake his head no, but quickly stopped at the spinning sensation it caused. George chuckled so more and sat on the edge of the bed beside Fred's still frame.

"It's alright Freddie," George said patting him brother comfortingly on the back. "You'll be right as rain in no time." Fred turned his head to the side to glare at his brother.

"Really Georgie? I thought I'd be stuck like this forever. Thank you so much for your empty words," Fred said sarcastically. George just grinned and winked at his twin.

"Anytime brother. Anytime."

"So what do I win?" Fred asked looking back at Nikki. Nikki just shrugged her shoulders with an impish smile on her lips.

"Bragging rights?" she suggested. Fred scowled at her.

"I did not just slide down the evil spiral staircase of doom and destruction to win bragging rights," Fred told her seriously. "I think I deserve some sort of tangible reward like a… a umm-," Fred stumbled over his words as he tried to think up a decent reward.

"Like a kiss? A date? A-,"

"Get out of it," Fred interrupted his brother by shoving him off the bed. George hit the floor with a loud thump. "I was thinking more along the lines of a foot massage or a home cooked meal. Mmmm. Yeah that sounds like a fair prize." Nikki snorted and rolled her eyes.

"I stand by my previous statement. You win bragging rights. That's all," she told him. Fred opened his mouth indignantly, but Nikki cut him off. "Maybe next time you should make an agreement on the prize before beginning the bet," she advised with a wicked gleam in her eyes. Fred scowled at her.

"Speaking of bets," Hermione interrupted. "I believe I won," she said with a triumphant smile to George. "I'll take my foot and back massage tonight after I've finished my research in the library and I think that steak and potatoes sound wonderful for dinner," she finished with a smirk. George on the other hand had a mischievous grin on his face.

"I wouldn't be so hasty about announcing victory if I were you," George told her, grin firmly in place. Hermione scowled at him and then turned to Fred and Nikki.

"Are you two in a relationship?" she asked bluntly. Both Fred and Nikki's eyes widened in surprise and in unison they began stuttering their denial. "See?" Hermione said gesturing to the pair. "So I win," she said, crossing her arms over her chest with a smug smile. George chuckled slightly causing Hermione to frown at him again.

"Yes you aren't _dating_," George addressed the pair, "But you are friends right?" Fred and Nikki mutely nodded their heads. "And friendship is a type of relationship, right?" George said turning back to Hermione with a wide grin. "So I win." Hermione scowled at her boyfriend.

"You tricked me. I hope whatever I cook poisons you," she said with a glare. George just laughed.

"So wait," Nikki began. "You guys were betting on us?" she asked, gesturing between her and Fred. George nodded happily.

"Of course we were. And I won," he said as though she might have missed the outcome. Hermione didn't answer as she was too busy grumbling under her breath as she plotted revenge. Nikki sent a look at Fred who was shaking his head looking slightly irritated and yet faintly amused at the same time. He caught Nikki's look and shrugged his shoulders.

"He's my brother. What are you gonna do?" he asked rhetorically.

"Well can we at least lock him up somewhere for a few hours in revenge?" Nikki asked hopefully. Fred grinned at her.

"I'm sure we'll be able to think up something," he reassured her with a light pat to her shoulder. George frowned nervously at the pair.

"Revenge you say? I'm not sure that's necessary," he said apprehensively. Fred just smiled soothingly at his brother.

"Don't worry about it Georgie. Just forget that you heard anything," he told him with a pat to his shoulder as he strolled past him and into the room, Nikki following close behind and grinning at George as she passed him.

"Hmmm somehow that doesn't seem very soothing Freddie," George told him. Fred just laughed.

"Alright, that's enough distractions," Hermione said clapping her hands once to get the group's attention. "As you all know today we're starting Patronuses. Patronuses are a difficult bit of magic because of the amount of focus you need to make the spell work properly. Another trick to Patronuses is that you need more than just an incantation. You also have to have a really happy memory to back it up. The happiest memory you have and you have to let it fill you up. And it's one thing to be able to produce a corporal Patronus here in this room and entirely another to actually be able to do so in front of a dementor. So everyone split up and get some space, concentrate and find that memory, and then we'll try the incantation, _Expecto Patronum_."

The group immediately did as they were told, chattering excitedly. Soon though the room grew quiet as everyone stopped to think and try to dredge up that happy memory. Many had their eyes closed and frowns of concentration on their faces as they racked their brains. Hermione waited a few more minutes before breaking the silence.

"Does everyone have one? Good. Okay on three let's all try it. Let your memory fill you up with that happy feeling and don't forget the incantation. _Expecto Patronum_. Got it? Alright. One. Two. Three. _Expecto Patronum."_

The room filled with voices and a few silvery wisps and only three corporal Patronuses. Two coyotes played and chased each other around the room while a silver otter swam through the air doing loop de loops after them. Lily, Alice, Nikki, and the Marauders stared jealously after the Patronuses.

"It's alright," Hermione reassured them still smiling after watching Fred and George's playful Patronuses. "No one ever gets it their first try. Try again and keep practicing. You might need to change your memory. It's a trial and error process." Everyone nodded and with determination tried again and again while Hermione walked amongst them offering tips and suggestions.

"I don't know what to do," Nikki complained in agitation. "I just can't think of a happy enough memory. I can't even get a wisp like everyone else." Hermione paused looking thoughtful.

"Well it doesn't have to be a memory per say," she explained slowly. "I know Harry would always picture Ron and me and he always had the best Patronuses." Nikki nodded looking thoughtful.

"What do you think of if you don't mind my asking?" Nikki requested. Hermione blushed slightly, but smiled none the less.

"George. Nothing specific, just him. Usually him laughing or just being happy. Before we started dating I tried using my memory of becoming friends with Harry and Ron, but it wasn't as strong as this one," she answered honestly as she glanced at George across the room as he teased Fred about something. Nikki nodded again.

"Okay. Let me think… _Expecto Patronum_," she called out firmly. A large silver form burst from her wand tip and immediately began prowling and pacing in front of her protectively. Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing to watch. Nikki gasped in surprise causing her to lose her concentration and the form disappeared.

"I did it," she said barely above a whisper. "I did it!" she repeated loudly. Hermione beamed at her.

"That was excellent! Good job. A tiger huh? Somehow that doesn't surprise me," Hermione told her with a grin. Nikki beamed back in response. The rest of the lesson passed quickly with everyone managing to conjure a Patronus. James and Lily's doe and stag pranced together around the room as though in a friendly race. Sirius's dog bound around happily without a care. Nikki's tiger romped happily with the twin's coyotes and Remus wolf. Hermione's otter, Alice's porcupine, and Peter's rabbit all enjoyed what appeared to be a game of tag, although Hermione's otter seemed to keep getting distracted and wandering over to tease George's coyote.

"Alright everyone I think we've made some really good progress for today," Hermione announced. "I'm going to have to think up a way to make it harder to produce your Patronuses so it's more realistic, but that's next meeting."

"Excellent!" Fred said clapping his hands together briskly. "Now Nikki and I were thinking earlier that it is a perfect day for Quidditch so we propose a game before we lose our sunlight. Who's in?" There was excited chatter from almost everyone. Fred quickly took count of who was willing to play and what position and then rubbed his hands together in his excitement.

"Brilliant. Meet at the Pitch in ten?" he suggested. Everyone who was playing nodded their agreement and rushed from the room to prepare themselves. This left only Hermione and Alice. Hermione turned to Alice and asked the question that had been on her mind for the last few minutes.

"Lily plays Quidditch?" Alice laughed lightly and nodded.

"She never did until this year because of James, but he talked her into it and as it turns out she has some natural talent as a seeker," Alice informed her as the pair exited the room at a much more leisurely pace than that of their peers.

"Huh," Hermione replied. "I guess I just never pictured her as the type. Definitely explains why Harry is so good though; both parents having a natural talent at Quidditch."

The two girls walked in silence for a few minutes before Hermione turned to her friend with another question.

"Would you fancy a trip to the kitchens?" she asked. "Fred and Nikki got into an argument earlier about chocolate and I've been dying for some ever since," she said with a grin. Alice laughed.

"Sounds fabulous."

**AN: Hello again! It's me! I know you might have forgotten who I am in my dreadful absence, but fear not lovely readers! I'm back. Anyhoo, I just want to let you all know that your reviews are wonderful and I find myself grinning like an idiot whenever I read them. :-D**

_**About the Patronuses:**_** I'm sure some of you noticed that Peter's was a rabbit and not a rat. I do have a reason for this, although I don't think I'll be revealing it in the story so I'll just tell you now. I did my research on animal meanings and I chose Rabbit for Peter because Rabbit means Humility, Strengthening Intuition, Releasing Fear, Overcoming the Past, Resolution to Change, New Life, and Alertness. I thought that this described the changes that I'm bringing about in Peter quite nicely. Also the twins got coyotes because they are known as being tricksters/jokers and incorporating both knowledge and laughter into teaching and being big on children and family. Nikki is a tiger because tigers are courageous, devoted, powerful, self-confident, and have a little darkness to them. Alice was the porcupine because they are good natured, a reminder of innocence, trusting, curious, and cautious. I spent quite a long time researching for the Patronuses that I had to give to the characters and I am quite proud of how well they match their people. **

**Now that I've cleared that up for anyone who cared, you guys know what comes next. **

**_Reviews make the world go round! _**


	18. Ch 18: Gone

**Disclaimer: I'm not JK Rowling. I get no profit for writing this story. These aren't my characters or my world. I'm simply borrowing them for the time being and manipulating them for my own entertainment and should others also find entertainment here then I shall receive a few warm fuzzies and nothing more.**

_Previously…_

_"Lily plays Quidditch?" Alice laughed lightly and nodded._

"_She never did until this year because of James, but he talked her into it and as it turns out she has some natural talent as a seeker," Alice informed her as the pair exited the room at a much more leisurely pace than that of their peers._

"_Huh," Hermione replied. "I guess I just never pictured her as the type. Definitely explains why Harry is so good though; both parents having a natural talent at Quidditch." _

_The two girls walked in silence for a few minutes before Hermione turned to her friend with another question._

"_Would you fancy a trip to the kitchens?" she asked. "Fred and Nikki got into an argument earlier about chocolate and I've been dying for some ever since," she said with a grin. Alice laughed._

"_Sounds fabulous."_

**Chapter 18: Gone**

It was a bright and sunny, early spring day with a somewhat nippy breeze. As Hogwarts students saw it, it was perfect weather for the Hogsmead trip that had been scheduled for that weekend. They chattered excitedly as they made their way to the village. The conversations ranging anywhere from Quidditch, to what shops they were most excited to visit, to the most recent disappearances reported in the _Daily Profit_.

"I'm telling you," Sirius argued loudly as their group walked into Hogsmead, "The Wimbourne Wasps are a shoo-in for the cup next year."

James was shaking his head before Sirius even finished speaking.

"Padfoot, I think you've chewed on too many old tennis shoes. It's Puddlemore all the way, no doubt about it," he retaliated. Sirius snorted.

"You're only saying that because the Potter's have been devoted Puddlemore fans since they first created the league," Sirius countered, poking James in the chest. James glared at his friend.

"Regardless of how long we Potter's have been fans, they are still going to win the championship. They are the best after all," James said while poking Sirius in the chest in return. Sirius opened his mouth, but Lily cut him off before he could further the argument.

"What's Heather's house number again?" she asked loudly to drown out her boyfriend and his best mate.

"42," Hermione answered instantly, happy for any conversation other than Quidditch. She gestured to the medium sized cottage a couple meters away from where they stood.

"Well that looks nice," Alice commented. "Nice and homey," she said as she took in the white picket fence, porch swing, and large welcome mat resting in front of the door.

"Yes, yes it's simply adorable," Fred said impatiently as he strode purposefully up the walk and to the door. He only managed to rap his knuckles on the door once before it was flung open and he was attacked by a mop of brown hair.

"You came!" Sebastian shouted gleefully as he squeezed his arms around Fred's middle. Fred staggered back a step in surprised and patted the small boy on the back awkwardly.

"Well we said we would, didn't we?" George asked with an amused smirk at Fred's discomfort. Fred glared halfheartedly back as Sebastian unclamped himself from Fred and launched himself at George instead. He squeezed George around the middle much as he had Fred causing his mumbled words to be lost in the fabric of George's robes.

"What was that?" George asked kindly. Sebastian unlocked his arms from George and looked slightly embarrassed as he answered.

"I wasn't sure you'd actually come. I mean you're all really cool and grown up and I'm just a kid," he said as he dug his shoe into the wood of the porch.

"Nonsense!" Fred and George exclaimed heartily in unison as they each wrapped an arm around the young boy's shoulders.

"Of course you noticed how cool,"

"Handsome,"

"Talented,"

"And otherwise amazing we are,"

"But we think you're all of those things too," the twins told him as they guided him into his home. Sebastian beamed hopefully between the pair.

"Really?" he asked.

"Absolutely," the twins answered. All four Marauders, Lily, Alice, Nikki, and Hermione followed the boys into the house.

"Sebastian?" they heard coming from what appeared to be the kitchen.

"Guess who's here mum?!" Sebastian shouted excitedly as he broke away from the twins to bound into the kitchen, the group of friends following closely behind.

"Please don't tell me that you answered the door," Heather said in an exasperated tone with her back to them as she waved her wand causing several potatoes to shoot out of their skins and into a pot of boiling water on the stove.

"Er," Sebastian hesitated guiltily. Heather sighed and turned around, drying her hands on a towel.

"Hello," she said with a kind smile when she saw the mass of people filling her kitchen. Her smile turned to a stern frown as she turned back to her son.

"Sebastian how many times do I have to tell you not to answer the door? You never know who could be on the other side, especially in these times," she reprimanded.

"But mum, it was just-," Sebastian began in his defense.

"I know who it was," Heather interrupted, "But the point stands that you don't know who it is until you open the door and I don't want anything to happen to you, son."

Sebastian looked guiltily at his feet.

"Sorry mum. I was just excited," he said quietly. Heather sighed and moved across the room to give her son a warm hug.

"I know kiddo. It's alright. Just please come get me in the future," she told him. Sebastian nodded fervently.

"Of course mum. Can me and the guys go play out back now? Please, please, please!" he begged, puppy dog eyes and all. Heather smiled fondly at her son and ruffled his hair.

"Oh I suppose," she conceded.

"Yes!" Sebastian yelled before turning and grabbing a hand each from Fred and George. "C'mon guys, I'll show you my fort that I built all by myself! You guys too," he called over his shoulder at the Marauders before dragging the twins enthusiastically through the sliding glass door that led out to the back. The Marauders exchanged amused glances before following the excited boy out the door.

"Nice to see you again," Remus's good manners couldn't help but greet Heather before following his friends outside. Heather smiled.

"You all as well," she replied. The door shut behind Remus and Heather turned expectantly to the four females left in the room. Hermione stepped up and hugged her friend in greeting.

"I'm so glad you all came," Heather told them happily after she returned the hug and Hermione stepped back. "Sebastian has been pacing the floors for a week worrying about whether or not you'd actually come. He's been up since 6:30 this morning, too pent up with energy to sleep any longer," she confided looking slightly exasperated, but still smiling. The girls all looked amused.

"Well of course we came," Hermione replied. "We said we would, and besides, the boys like Sebastian. I think they think of him as their apprentice." Heather laughed.

"Oh great. Just what I wanted," she said sarcastically. Hermione smirked.

"You have been warned," she told her.

"Don't I know it," Heather responded with a grin.

The day passed rather quickly after that. The boys spent most of it outdoors doing who knew what. The girls stayed in the living room for the most part chatting and entertaining little Penny once she emerged from her room following the sounds of laughter and happy voices. They all converged on the kitchen around mid-day to enjoy the lunch Heather had prepared for them. They enjoyed loud, but friendly conversation around the table, but as soon as the meal was over Sebastian dragged the boys off again, this time to his upstairs bedroom as dark storm clouds were beginning to gather outside.

They stayed and chatted for a while longer, but the quickly deteriorating weather pushed their visit to an end. A boom of thunder overhead caused a brief lapse in conversation between the women downstairs.

"I think we need to get going," Nikki said reluctantly, causing the other girls to nod in agreement. "That storm is blowing in fast and I still need to pick up a new quill while we're in town." Heather nodded in understanding.  
"I'll just go fetch the boys then shall I?" she said before heading up the stairs to Sebastian's room. Alice looked nervously out the window at the quickly darkening sky.

"I hope we make it back before the rain hits," she said quietly. "I don't much fancy getting rained on." The others nodded. A sound like a herd of stampeding Hippogriff's shook the house as the boys all stomped down the stairs.

"You guys have to leave already?" Sebastian whined from the back of the pack. Hermione smiled sympathetically at him while Heather answered.

"Sebastian, you don't want your friends getting caught out in the storm do you?" she asked with a raised brow. Sebastian sighed.

"No, I guess not," he answered reluctantly with a frown.

"Don't worry little man," Sirius said as he ruffled Sebastian's hair fondly. "We'll come back for a visit again." Sebastian's face lit up.

"Really?" he asked excitedly.

"Of course," Fred reassured as he punched him gently in the shoulder.

"We've grown a bit attached to our little apprentice," George said with a smirk. Sebastian beamed while Heather groaned.

"I thought you were exaggerating," she moaned while Hermione chuckled slightly and shook her head.

"Unfortunately no. I'm afraid your son is doomed to corruption," she said with a grin.

"Hey!" the boys all yelled in unison while the girls laughed.

"It was great to see you again," Hermione said as she hugged Heather goodbye.

"You too," Heather said as she returned the hug. Hermione hugged Penny goodbye as well and before they knew it the group was stumbling out into the cold calling their farewells over their shoulders.

A large gust of wind blew Hermione's hair across her face and caused goose bumps to pop up across her arms and neck. She shivered and pulled her light sweater tighter to her form. The group walked quickly back towards the heart of Hogsmead, Hogwarts being on the other side of the small village.

"Nikki I think we should just skip getting your quill," Lily said through chattering teeth. James wrapped his arm around her shoulders in an attempted to shield the strong wind that had cropped up sometime while they had been inside visiting. Alice nodded in fervent agreement.

"I _really_ don't want to get rained on," she complained. Nikki didn't look convinced.

"You can just borrow one of our quills until we can come back for a new one," Peter suggested hopefully. He didn't want to get rained on either. Nikki frowned.

"Well it was going to be a birthday present…" she said hesitantly.

"I'll go with you," Hermione volunteered, seeing her friend's reluctance to forgo purchasing the quill. "That way this lot can get back dry and warm and we can get your quill." Nikki smiled at her.

"Would you really? Thanks so much," she said sounding immensely relieved. Hermione smiled back.

"No problem. I don't mind getting a bit wet," she told her.

"I'll come too," Fred and George both offered, George looking amused at his brother's desire to accompany the girls. Fred ignored his brother's knowing smirk and wrapped his arm around Nikki's shoulders much the same way James had to Lily. Nikki unconsciously leaned into the warmth that he offered and looked up at him, skeptical of his motives.

George and Hermione traded amused glances and George wrapped an arm around her. Watching Nikki and Fred dance around each other the past few months had been quite fun to watch. They had become close friends and Fred was always the one Nikki went to first for advice. Not that she took his advice. Usually she would scoff and seek a second opinion especially when it was concerning boys she was considering dating. For some reason no one was ever good enough for her in Fred's eyes.

"What?" Fred asked seeing the look Nikki was giving him. "Can't have you two wandering around on your own now can we? Who knows what kind of trouble you'll get yourselves into." Nikki rolled her eyes.

"Whatever trouble we get into I'm sure we will be able to get out of it without your assistance," she told him with a raised brow. Fred snorted.

"Right. Well, all the same Georgie and I are coming with," Fred told her stubbornly. Nikki just rolled her eyes and refrained from commenting. She had learned how stubborn Fred was and that she needed to choose her battles wisely when it came to him. Neither of the pair noticed the knowing glances being traded throughout the group behind them. They had all placed their bets and it was no longer a matter of _if_, but a matter of _when_ the two would start dating.

The group parted ways when they reached a store front with a window display housing several fancy looking quills. There were a number of hasty _goodbyes_ and a few _see you at Hogwarts_ before Nikki, Hermione, and the twins entered the shop, sighing in relief at the warmth the shop offered. Nikki apparently knew precisely which quill she wanted to purchase and the group found themselves exiting the warmth of the shop much sooner than they had hoped. But those short minutes were enough for their friends to make it out of sight so the foursome hurried off towards Hogwarts hoping to catch up to them.

Hogsmead was surprisingly empty for a Hogsmead weekend at Hogwarts. It seemed that none of the students wanted to get caught in the village in the ensuing storm and had rushed back to Hogwarts long ago. Hermione, Nikki, Fred, and George were not yet out of the village when the rain started. What began as a few small drops quickly escalated to a downpour in a matter of moments. Without having to speak a word to each other the foursome began running for the castle; Hermione and George in the lead with Fred and Nikki close behind.

Just as they reached the outskirts of the village Hermione heard a cry of surprise from behind her. Hermione and George both stopped and turned, panting slightly, to see Nikki sprawled on the ground as though she had tripped. Fred reached down to help her up and almost got bashed in the face with her head as she jumped to her feet, wand raised and scanning the road behind them.

"Nikki wha-," Fred started to ask.

"That was a trip jinx," Nikki said as she peered through the curtain of rain separating her and an unseen enemy. George and Hermione exchanged nervous, but determined glances before drawing their wands and moving to flank Nikki and Fred, who had not hesitated in drawing his wand either.

"Very good Nikki darling," a harsh female voice called out as a form began to emerge from the deluge of water falling from the sky. Hermione tightened her grip on her wand as several more forms followed the first. Lightning flashed, illuminating the group. They were outnumbered. This was not good. Nikki gasped as the woman came fully into view and her face paled dramatically. Fred noticed and unconsciously took a protective step in front of Nikki.

"Who the hell are you?" Fred demanded in a snarl, his hair plastered to his head from the downpour of rain. The unfamiliar woman sneered at him.

"I would think my daughter would have seen fit to introduce her current boyfriend to her dear old mum, but then again Nikki has never been known for her manners," the woman sneered with a humorless chuckle as she twirled her wand between her fingers. Hermione, Fred, and George were shocked into silence at this revelation, but Nikki seemed emboldened.

"You are no mother of mine," she said fiercely as she stepped forward so she was no longer behind Fred, but beside him with her wand at the ready. Nikki's mother ignored her child's statement as though it had never been uttered.

"You should know the Dark Lord was quite displeased to hear your rejection of his offer," Nikki's mother told her casually as she whipped her rain soaked hair out of her face. Nikki laughed humorlessly.

"I'll die before I join him," she stated boldly. Her mother sighed and looked her daughter straight in the eyes with no remorse or pity.

"That's a shame, because I'm here to take you back with me and either convince you to join him or kill you." Nikki's stance didn't waver for an instant.

"Then you might as well kill me right here, right now mother, because there is nothing, _nothing_ you can do to me that will convince me to join Voldemort's sadistic cult."

For the first time Nikki's mother's cool demeanor wavered and her features contorted in rage.

"How dare you speak his name!" she shrieked as she slashed her wand at her daughter. The cutting curse didn't stand a chance of reaching Nikki through the four shields that went up to defend her. Nikki's mother raised her eyebrow in faint surprise and a smirk tugged her lips.

"I see you've been practicing since the last time we met darling," her mother said with a hair-raising smile. "I'm surprised that your little boyfriend there is willing to defend you after the things that you've done, or does he not know?" Nikki's face reddened in fury and her eyes glinted sharply as rain ran down her face.

"Things that I've done? _Things that I've done_?" Nikki all but roared. "More like things that _you've_ done to _me_! Things you've let _others_ do to me! What kind of _mother_ does those things to her _child_?" Nikki snarled. Nikki's mother just smirked, seemingly happy to get such a rise out of her daughter.

"Only to a child too stubborn to do as she was told. A child who strutted around like a common whore. You _deserved_ what I let those men do to you."

Fred and George stiffened as they realized what Nikki must have gone through. Their eyes widened in horror before narrowing in furious anger. Nikki looked at her mother in disgust, tears of rage and shame squeezing from her eyes and mixing with the rain on her cheeks.

"You're disgusting," she said quietly, her voice shaking with fury. "I was thirteen. _Thirteen_. And you… You _let_ _them_," Nikki shook her head, unable to finish the sentence.

Nikki's mother smiled and began to take a step forward. Fred stepped in front of Nikki again to protect her, his shoulders tight with rage and the tips of his ears red from his suppressed anger.

"You stay away from her," he snarled menacingly. Nikki's mother laughed.

"Or what?" she sneered. "What is a little brat like you going to do to me?" she asked as she raised her wand to attack. Fred and the others took this as their cue that the fight was beginning and immediately began slinging curses and defending one another.

It was seven against four; not the best odds, but they had the element of surprise on their side. These Death Eaters had come expecting to kidnap a school girl and maybe hold off a few of her friends. They did not come prepared to fight four people who had been training for months for just this scenario and three of whom being war veterans. The foursome managed to quickly take down three of the Death Eaters before they caught on and began taking the battle more seriously. Now at least it was an even fight.

Hermione darted between spells, slipping slightly in the mud. She cast a rapid fire of her own various curses and hexes, hoping one would hit its target. The Death Eater she was battling grunted in pain as her cutting curse nicked his cheek. Unfortunately, this only angered him rather than slowing him down any.

"_Crucio_, _Crucio_!" Hermione dove out of the way of the first only to be hit by the second. She screamed and collapsed onto the muddy ground, wrapping herself into a fetal position as pain stabbed unendingly into her body.

George whipped around hearing her screams and ran to protect her, but his opponent was not so lenient. He hit George in the back with a Cruciatus Curse as well and George fell to the mud screaming in pain, still several meters away from Hermione.

"George!" Fred yelled desperately as he continued to battle with Nikki's mother, unable to get away to help his brother. The Death Eater holding Hermione under the curse lifted it and Hermione jumped to her feet much sooner than he expected. She quickly disarmed him and before he could blink she had also disarmed the Death Eater using the Cruciatus Curse on George. She then ran to George's side while varying her wand point between their unarmed opponents.

"George," she gasped as she knelt beside him, ignoring the mud. "Are you okay?" she asked hastily as she worriedly scanned his body for serious injury.

"Peachy," George grunted out as he sat up. "You?" Hermione's lips thinned and she refrained from answering. An explosion from Nikki's mother's wand sent Fred flying back to land beside George and Hermione flat on his back, splattering them both with mud.

"Fred!" They both cried out. Fred groaned and sat up, his breathes coming in labored gasps.

"Fine," he reassured waving his hand to wave them off. "Got... Breath knocked… out of me…" he wheezed out as he tenderly rose to his feet. George looked immensely relieved and squeezed his brother's shoulder before they both sprinted off to rejoin the fight, Hermione on their heels. But the few precious moments of distraction did as they were meant to and Nikki's mother hit her daughter in the back with stunner. Nikki collapsed in a heap of mud and robes.

"NO!" Fred shouted as he began sprinting faster to get to Nikki, George matching him stride for stride. Nikki's mother turned and grinned at them as she reached for her daughter. Hermione and George began casting every curse they could think of in the hopes of stopping her while Fred continued sprinting at her as though planning to physically pull her away from her daughter.

Hermione shrieked as a heavy hand pulled her around and tried to wrestle the wands she had captured from her left hand. They had been so focused on saving Nikki that they hadn't paid any attention to the two unarmed Death Eaters. Hermione fought back as hard as she could to maintain a grip on the rain slicked wands, but a well-placed fist to her jaw sent her to the ground. Blackness began clouding her vision, but she took several deep breathes and by force of will managed to stay conscious.

She stood up just in time to see Fred launch himself at Nikki's mom, effectively getting her away from her daughter. Fred and George began closing in on Nikki's mother, but instead of looking nervous she smiled, looking as though she'd had an epiphany.

"Well if my daughter refuses to join the Dark Lord no matter what I do to _her_, then maybe doing it to the love of her life will have a better effect," she said before throwing herself at Fred and seizing for his arm. Fred blinked in surprise at this change of tactic.

"NO!" George shouted as he threw himself in front of his twin, knocking Fred's arm out of range of her grasping fingers. Before anyone knew what was happening Nikki's mother grabbed onto George's outstretched arm, turned on the spot, and vanished away with him in an instant with a loud crack. Several other cracks quickly followed as the other Death Eaters disapparated themselves and their fallen away. Those left behind froze in horror and shock.

A heart wrenching, wordless scream broke the stunned silence. Hermione collapsed to her knees, staring at the empty space where she had last seen George, the uncontrollable scream still ripping through her body. Fred stood still in a daze. His brain seemed water logged and slow as he tried to process what had just taken place. Hermione's scream of despair brought home to him what must have happened.

"Georgie?" he whispered softly to the air surrounding him; the pain almost tangible in that one word. "No. No, not George. Georgie no." He sank to his knees shaking his head and stared at the muddy footprints left behind by his brother. A broken sob worked its way up his throat and he pressed his muddy fists firmly against lips as though it could help stifle the pain. He caught movement out of the corner of his eye, but couldn't bring himself to care about whether or not he could be in danger. George was gone.

A warm arm wrapped itself around his shoulders. Fred's subconscious seemed to recognize the owner because he found himself leaning into the warm body and clinging to their robes like a child begging for comfort from the monsters under his bed.

"Fred, what…" Nikki only managed to get half of the question out, knowing that she wasn't going the like the answer. Another broken sob escaped Fred's lips.

"He's gone," Fred whispered half to himself, half to her. "She took him… My Georgie… He's gone." Pain flashed through Nikki's chest at seeing Fred so broken. She wrapped her arms tightly around Fred and said nothing. There were no words to ease this pain. There were only empty reassurances that would only cause anger to mix with the heavy grief. Fred buried his face in her robes and allowed himself to completely break down there in the middle of the muddy road to Hogsmead during the thunderstorm.

At some point Hermione found the strength to wander over to them, her eyes bloodshot and tears still pouring down her cheeks, competing with the rain. She collapsed beside Nikki and Fred. Nikki held out her other arm wordlessly and Hermione fell against her, sobs wracking her body. Fred reached out an arm and tugged Hermione to him as well. They sat there in a sodden muddy heap grieving for their lost friend, their lost brother, their lost love. The rain continued to pour, but they didn't notice. The wind continued to rush at them, tugging at their clothes, but again, they didn't notice. The thunder rumbled across the heavens and the lightning flashed against the dark, heavy clouds in the sky, but they didn't notice. Their grief was stronger than the elements.

This was how Dumbledore found them, who knows how much later. He asked no questions, merely helped them to their feet and allowed them to lean on each other as they journeyed back to the castle, one member short.

* * *

Hermione lay listlessly in her hospital bed curled on her side, facing the wall. Nothing was wrong with her, not physically anyway. It had been two days since… Two days since the incident. She hadn't cried since that day and couldn't seem to find the will power to pull herself out of bed, or eat, or even remotely care about anything. What did it matter anyway? George was gone. Gone. And she had no way to find him and bring him back.

Fred lay on his back in the bed beside Hermione staring blankly at the ceiling. He too had lost the will to leave his bed. He now had a taste of the pain that George had endured for six months. Six months? Fred didn't think he could take another day of this, let alone six months. It was agony not having his twin safe beside him. He felt helpless and defeated. His beloved twin was out there somewhere being tortured or maybe he had already been-,

Fred shut his brain down. It was so much less painful to just not think. To just stare blankly and not remember, to not feel.

Another day went by with no improvement. The Marauders, Lily, Alice, and Nikki were becoming increasingly concerned. When they tried to speak to either of the two they gave absolutely no response. They were currently sitting in the Room of Requirement discussing their options.

"I say we just go in there and start hexing them until we get a reaction," Sirius suggested looking irritated. The majority of the room glared at him.

"What?" he asked. His friends chose to ignore his stupid suggestion.

"We need to get them to wake up and realize that this is not what George would want them to do," Alice said thoughtfully.

"Well duh," was Sirius's unwelcome response, "Hexing them will do that perfectly!" His friends continued to ignore him.

"Maybe we could use what George was like after Fred died as an example of how that's not what George would want for them," Peter suggested hesitantly. There were various thoughtful nods throughout the room as they considered this.

"Yeah, but how are we going to get their attention?" Remus asked. "We've got to get them listening first."

"Hexes!" Sirius shouted. Lily glared at him and nonverbally cast a silencing charm on him. Sirius glared mutinously before taking out his own wand and nonverbally removing the charm.

"Ha ha!" he exclaimed louder than necessary. Lily scowled at him.

* * *

"Some days I truly hate Hermione for helping you with your nonverbal spell casting," she complained. Sirius opened his mouth, but Nikki jumped to her feet, distracting him from his retort.

"That's it!" she yelled in frustration as she stomped to the door. "They are being absolute idiots and like hell if I'm going to let them wallow any longer!" she yelled as she exited the room, allowing the door to slam behind her. The others in the room traded wide eyed looks before jumping to their feet and racing after her.

Nikki burst into the hospital wing, the door slamming open and into the opposite wall.

"Excuse me Miss Gilliam, but-," Holly began heatedly, looking up from where she had been adding new potions to her cabinet. Nikki ignored her and marched straight over to the far side of the room where Fred and Hermione had laid for three days now, refusing food and company.

"I've had enough you two!" Nikki exclaimed. "Get up NOW or face the consequences!" This, predictably, elicited no response from the morose pair. Nikki waited not a moment longer before flicking her wand sharply and causing both mattresses to flip up, dumping their occupants unceremoniously to the floor. The mattresses crashed back down on the bedsprings and Nikki smirked as Fred stood up from the floor his face red in his rage. Hermione also gingerly rose to her feet, glaring at Nikki.

"What the hell?" he bellowed at her. Nikki raised her eyebrow sardonically.

"I warned you, didn't I?" she replied calmly. "It's about time you got your sorry asses out of bed and _did something_." Fred's face twisted into a sneer.

"You want us to _do something_? Like what? Go to class? Study? Do our homework? Maybe you don't remember but my brother is _miss-ing_," Fred snarled. "That may mean nothing to you, but it sure as hell means something to _me_!" Nikki raised her eyebrow at him, her face otherwise impassive.

"You think that it means nothing to me? You think I'm not suffering too?" she asked in a tone reminiscent of the calm before the storm. Fred's laugh was harsh and cruel. Anger washed through Nikki's features at the sound.

"You don't think that I feel anything at all?" she snarled quietly, her fists clenched in rage as she spat the words from between her lips. "Did it never once cross your puny little mind that I'm swimming in guilt? Or did you forget that _I_ was the one she was supposed to take? Or maybe you forgot that it was my own fucking _mother_ who took him!" She shouted, her chest heaving. Fred's face was a shocked O of surprise.

"Nikki I-," Fred started tentatively. Nikki shook her head sharply and cut him off.

"Fred I don't expect you to go to classes, I don't expect you to go around like there's nothing wrong. But I do expect you to leave that hospital bed. I do expect you to let your friends help you, because you can't do this alone. I expect you to eat three meals a day and take care of yourself so that when we get your twin back you're ready to take care of him. I expect you to be _fighting_ to get him back. Where is the take charge, never take no for an answer Fred that I know? You're not him and I want him back. The same goes for you Hermione," Nikki said, changing her focus to the solemn-faced girl separated from Fred by her bed.

"I thought you were made of tougher stuff than this Hermione. I thought you were a fighter." Hermione flinched at the harsh words, but Nikki didn't stop there. "I thought you would be climbing the walls here looking for a way to get George back, instead you're moping about and wallowing in self-pity. That's not the determined girl that came bursting in here a few months ago and turned all of our worlds upside down. That's not the fierce leader that we've all come to love and respect who has been dragging our sorry asses out of denial and preparing us to fight and live through a war. Now I'm returning the favor. You need to find that girl, that _woman_, and get her back here, because we need her. George needs her. You've had your time to fall apart, now pick up the pieces and let's get our boy back home."

Nikki, having said her piece, turned and marched from the room much the same way she entered it. The Marauders, Lily, and Alice stood slightly shocked for a moment in the doorway, but then dutifully turned and followed their friend from the room. Fred and Hermione stood in astonishment for a few moments before Holly bustled over to strip their beds of sheets, clearly intent on changing them so the beds could be ready to use for her next patients.

"I suggest you listen to that girl," she advised them, shaking a warning finger in their faces. "She means business, and her advice is pretty good too."

With that being said the matron bustled off with the used sheets, deposited them into a hamper, and then shut herself into her office. Fred turned to find a wide-eyed Hermione staring at him.

"She's right," Fred said softly. "We need to fight to get George back." A pained look crossed Hermione's face.

"It hurts so much Fred," she whispered. Fred nodded and held out his arms for her. She immediately rushed around her former bed and pressed herself into his chest.

"I know," he said in a strained voice as he gripped her just tightly as she was gripping him.

"I don't know what I'm going to do if-," Hermione's voice cracked and she found she couldn't finish her sentence.

"I don't either," Fred replied in a strained voice. "We can't lose hope though. We have to keep fighting. For George." Hermione nodded into his chest.

"For George," she agreed softly. They stood and just held each other after that. Both afraid to let go, but realizing that they could no longer hide from the world and that it was impossible to hide from the pain.

"I love him," Hermione admitted in a broken whisper. Fred's arms tightened around her.

"I know," he whispered back.

**AN: I'm preparing myself for the hate mail now… Is it wrong that I really like this chapter? I think I did a decent job. I've been building up to this for what seems like a loooonnnnnggg time. **

**Now I'm gonna nag. Four reviews? Ouch. Where is the love, people? Even if the last chapter was god awful and the height of disappointment I'd prefer criticism over this stony silence. So PLEASE review! Authors are very self-conscious people and have very fragile egos so we need a good boost on a pretty regular basis. Just sayin. ;)**


	19. Ch 19: The Plan

**Disclaimer! Although the amazingly stupendously spectacular reviews I've been getting make me **_**feel**_** as awesome and cool as J.K. Rowling, I'm still not her…**

_Previously…_

"_We can't lose hope though. We have to keep fighting. For George." Hermione nodded into his [Fred's] chest._

"_For George," she agreed softly. They stood and just held each other after that. Both afraid to let go, but realizing that they could no longer hide from the world and that it was impossible to hide from the pain._

"_I love him," Hermione admitted in a broken whisper. Fred's arms tightened around her._

"_I know," he whispered back._

**Chapter 19: The Plan**

"Okay, so what's Dumbledore's plan to rescue George?" Hermione asked as she nibbled a slice of toast she had brought into the Room of Requirement with her from breakfast.

Currently, the Marauders, Lily, Alice, Nikki, Hermione, and Fred were sitting in their usual seating arrangement in the Room of Requirement. They had been discussing what Hermione and Fred had missed out on while they had been in the hospital wing and so far they were not happy.

"Well…" Alice started hesitantly. Hermione and Fred could both be pretty temperamental on a good day and with George missing it seemed their fuses were shorter than ever.

"That we know of… There is no plan," Alice spat out quickly and flinched at the end of her statement in preparation for the imminent outburst.

"WHAT?! Fred demanded, jumping to his feet while Hermione coughed on the toast she had inhaled when she heard the news.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'THERE IS NO PLAN'?" Fred demanded angrily, using air quotes to frame the questionable statement. Alice swallowed thickly and shrank back in her seat.

"Calm down Fred. You don't need to-," Remus interjected, trying to steer the brunt of the verbal assault away from poor Alice.

"CALM DOWN?! YOU JUST EXPECT ME TO CALM DOWN?! THAT'S MY _TWIN_ THAT DUMBLEDORE IS ABANDONING DAMMIT!" Fred roared, red in the face and waving his arms widely for emphasis.

"Fred," Hermione said in a quiet, but stern voice, having cleared her airway. Fred turned and rounded on her; his face still red in fury and his shoulders squared and ready for battle.

"Don't you dare tell me that it's okay Hermione Granger, because you know damn well that it's _not_," Fred growled at her. Hermione raised an eyebrow at him while surveying him coolly.

"Of course it's not okay, Fred," Hermione told him with a slight frown. "I'm just as furious as you are, truly I am," she added, seeing the disbelief on his face. Fred snorted.

"Well you aren't acting like it," he told her, crossing his arms defiantly. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"That's because I've already decided that if Dumbledore isn't going to rescue George, we will," she replied in a matter-of-fact tone. Fred's eyes widened momentarily in surprise before he visibly deflated and a grin stole across his features.

"Ah of course," he responded, sounding much calmer than a few moments prior and letting his arms drop to his sides. "I forgot for a moment that I was speaking to a third of the Golden Trio; well-known for their take-charge-when-others-fail-to-do-so attitude." Hermione scowled slightly at his description of her, Ron, and Harry.

"You want us to rescue George?" Lily asked while fidgeting nervously in her seat. Hermione frowned at her.

"Well it'll be on a strictly volunteer basis, but the more help we can get, the better," Hermione informed her. Lily still looked incredibly nervous and, looking around the room, Hermione noticed that she and Fred were the only ones who did not in fact look uneasy, with perhaps the exception of Nikki. Hermione sighed.

"If anyone doesn't want to be a part of the rescue mission just say so and there will be no hard feelings. I intend to go even if it means going alone," Hermione told them with a grim set to her mouth. Fred scoffed.

"You won't be going alone. I'll be coming of course," he said, looking like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Hermione raised an eyebrow at him.

"Is that supposed to be reassuring?" Hermione asked looking skeptical, but with the corner of her mouth tilted up ever so slightly. Fred glared at her.

"Erm, Hermione?" Lily interjected nervously. "Not to hurt your feelings or anything, but isn't a rescue mission to what is more than likely a Death Eater fortress a little over our heads? I mean, even if we _knew_ where he was there is still the problem of fighting Death Eaters that have way more experience than us and, well, quite possibly Voldemort himself," she said wringing her hands in her lap. Hermione fought the urge to shriek at her and tell her exactly what she thought of her concerns.

"Well maybe it is a bit over _your_ heads, but _I_ for one have had more than my lifetime's share of this kind of thing," Hermione said snippily. "This won't be the first time that I've had to break into somewhere with little to no knowledge of what would await me inside. This won't be the first time I've fought Death Eaters, _hell_ this won't be the _fifth_ time that I've fought Death Eaters. It won't even be the first time that I've stood face-to-face with Voldemort.

"If you all think that I'm going to just leave George there and hope that Voldemort is _merciful_ enough to let him live, then you're off your rockers. If there is one thing in my life that I could say I have never done, it would be that I have _never_ just sat back on my arse and allowed someone that I_ care about_ to be murdered, and I sure as _hell_ am not going to change that with George." Hermione had her fists clenched angrily and glared around the room, daring anyone to contradict her. James cleared his throat looking apprehensive.

"Hermione," he began hesitantly, "None of us are trying to, er discredit the things that you've been through. We just think that you might not be really thinking clearly right now because you're upset about… about…" James trailed off as Hermione's face turned beet red and she slowly rose to her feet. Fred discreetly resumed his seat to enjoy the show.

"First of all," Hermione began heatedly. "I'll have you know that there has _never_ been a time when I have been accused of not thinking clearly or not thinking things through. I am the responsible one. I am the one who finds the faults in the plans. I am rational. I am thorough. And above all I am cautious. Do _not_ try and preach to me about how _you_ don't think I'm thinking clearly.

"Second, you think I'm _upset_? You think I'm just _upset_ that George, my George, has been kidnapped by Voldemort's followers to be tortured and eventually _killed_?" Fred winced.

"I am NOT upset!" Hermione shouted shrilly. "I am _devastated_. I am bloody terrified. I- I don't have words for the amount of pain I am in right now. Living _hurts_. If there is anything within my willpower, anything at all, that I could do to bring George back then I will do it in a heartbeat. I'll be damned if I'll let some psychotic, death eating scum stop me."

There was an uncomfortable silence as Hermione threw herself back into her seat with a frustrated 'Hmph' and crossed her arms and legs tightly. Sirius squirmed in his seat slightly before sighing heavily.

"Hermione," he started slowly. Hermione leveled her glare at his face and to his credit he did not flinch. "We know you're hurt. We know that you've been through a lot. It's just that we don't think that George would want you risking your life for the slim chance that you might be able to get to him. _We_ don't want you risking your life. I mean is one life worth endangering nine others?"

Sirius had barely gotten the last three words out of his mouth before both Hermione and Fred leapt to their feet seeing red.

"OF COURSE HE'S BLOODY WORTH IT!" Fred raged, almost spitting in vehemence.

"NO ONE SAID ANY OF YOU HAD TO COME! WE DON'T NEED YOU!" Hermione shrieked at the same time, her bushy curls trembling in her fury.

"Whoa! All I meant was-," Sirius began, looking slightly panicked at the furious pair.

"WE KNOW WHAT YOU FUCKING MEANT!" Fred roared. "THAT GEORGE ISN'T WORTH YOU RISKING YOUR PRECIOUS LITTLE LIVES FOR. YOU HAVE ALL MADE THAT ABUNDANTLY. FUCKING. CLEAR!"

"No, no that's not it at all," Alice tried to explain, tears filling her eyes.

"Then what is it?!" Hermione shrieked. "All we've heard from you lot is how we aren't skilled enough to survive! We've been told that we aren't thinking properly! That we're making a mistake! That we should bloody give up! I will _not_ give up! This is NOT the only dangerous thing that I've ever had to do! Breaking into the Ministry of Magic while on their most wanted list was dangerous. Breaking into Gringotts and stealing something from a high security vault was dangerous. Sure we made mistakes! But I have learned from them and become a better strategist for them!

"At Gringotts we learned to always plan an escape route. At the Ministry we learned to always have a back-up plan and to never assume other people will respond how you expect them to. When we tried to rescue Sirius at the Ministry we learned to never take anything at face value because it could be… it could be…" Hermione stopped mid-rant with a look of stunned realization on her face and her mouth hanging open just slightly.

"Hermione?" Peter asked hesitantly. "You okay?" Hermione wordlessly shook her head and snapped her jaw shut. Her eyes had a vacant, slightly glazed look to them and she subconsciously brought her fingertips to her lips.

"Hermione?" Fred asked gently as he placed a hand on her shoulder. The physical touch seemed to snap Hermione out of whatever daze she had fallen into.

"Fred," she breathed quietly as she turned and rested her hand on his forearm, gripping it tightly. She looked up at his face, excitement and hope shining through her still slightly glazed eyes. "George… I know… I'm pretty sure… Nikki… It's definitely possible…" Her broken sentences made no sense and Fred realized the frustration that Ron often complained about when Hermione had an epiphany and failed to communicate what exactly it was. Fred grabbed her by both shoulders and brought his face down so it was level with hers.

"Hermione. Focus," he said, shaking her slightly. Her wide eyes finally fully focused on his face. "What is it?" he demanded.

"Fred," she breathed again. "I think I've figured it out." Fred scowled at her.

"Figured what out Hermione?" he asked exasperatedly.

"Where George is!" she said, breathless in her excitement. Fred sucked in a shocked breath and took a step back, dropping her shoulders in the process.

"What? How? Where is he? What does Nikki have to do with it?" Fred asked, looking both incredibly excited and skeptical at the same time.

"Well not really where he is, but how to figure out where he is," Hermione babbled as she began pacing across the room and back again, wringing her hands eagerly.

"I'm not following," Fred said with a mystified frown. Hermione shot him an exasperated look.

"It's just like in 5th year when Voldemort lured Harry to the Ministry using Sirius as bait!" Hermione exclaimed, her eyes sparkling in her newfound knowledge. Fred's frown deepened and disappointment began creeping in on his features.

"But George really has been taken. It's not a trick," he said sullenly. Hermione shook her head rapidly, curls flying.

"No, no. George really has been taken, but is being used in the same way that Voldemort pretending to take Sirius was used!" Hermione explained waving her hands enthusiastically. The corners of Fred's lips turned down further as he contemplated this information. James and Peter were looking equally confused while Sirius rubbed his temples. Lily and Alice seemed to be thinking it over and Remus was looking at Nikki in surprise. Nikki looked slightly nauseated.

"So…" Fred started, choosing his words carefully. "So what you're saying is that George is being used as a lure…" Fred spoke as though it was a question. Hermione nodded rapidly.

"Yes, precisely!" she said, happy that he had caught on.

"But Hermione, who is being lured?" Fred asked, shaking his head as though to clear out the confusion.

"Me," Nikki said in a voice just above a whisper. "They want me to come save him and demand to trade places. They think he's you and they think you're my boyfriend," she said to Fred, looking extremely pale. Fred's eyes widened as he stared at Nikki and then widened some more as realization dawned on his face and hope began lighting his eyes.

"But then that means," he paused and turned to Hermione eagerly. "That means that they would want to keep him alive until she got there!" Hermione nodded, happy tears in her eyes.

"Yes! And they would take him somewhere Nikki would know of so she would know how to get there!" she continued, bubbling with enthusiasm. Fred's eyes widened once more in amazement as he sucked in a breath. He stared at her for another moment in shock before a large grin broke out across his face.

"Hermione!" he shouted before he laughed happily and launched himself at her, squeezing her tightly against his chest. "You're bloody brilliant! Merlin, I think I love you!" he proclaimed. Hermione laughed and squeezed him back.

"I love you too, Fred, but I'm sorry. To me you'll always come second to your brother," Hermione told him with a grin. Fred scoffed and held her at arms-length.

"You'd better not be referring to Ronniekins," he warned with a raised brow. Hermione rolled her eyes and smiled.

"No. Ron and I were only ever meant to be friends. George is all there is for me," she informed him.

"Good," Fred said with a sharp nod before pulling her back against him once more for a tight hug. They simply held each other for a few moments, basking in the comfort that they could offer one another. Fred pulled back first and Hermione dropped her arms from around his waist. Fred turned and focused his full attention on Nikki. Nikki looked slightly nervous and not a little bit guilty.

"Where would they take him, Nikki? Please, you have to know," Fred begged as he squatted on the floor in front of her seat on the couch. Nikki looked away from Fred's eager face and towards the ceiling as she let out a great puff of air.

"I- I don't-," she stuttered uncomfortably.

"Please Nikki. Anything. Anything that comes to mind," he pleaded. She glanced down at him and received the full force of his best puppy dog look. She grimaced and looked away again, rubbing her arms uneasily. She sighed in defeat.

"Alright, I'll give you some ideas of where he might be, but I need you to hear me out on something first and no angry interruptions, understand?" she asked giving him her most serious look. Fred nodded immediately.

"Of course. Anything," he agreed with no hesitation. Nikki turned to Hermione next.

"Same goes to you," she said. Hermione hesitated, having more reservations than Fred, but nodded her agreement none the less.

"Alright," Nikki said with a nod to herself. "So first off, after I tell you the places that they could possibly be holding George, you are not going to go and immediately rush off with no plan, right?" she queried. Fred and Hermione agreed immediately.

"And any plan made has to be run past everyone in this room before implementation to check for holes and everyone has to pass it before it can be implemented as well, understand?" Hermione and Fred looked a little more hesitant to agree to this rule, but after making eye contact with one another they came to an agreement.

"Okay," Fred agreed while Hermione nodded silently. Nikki looked slightly relieved at their easy consensus.

"And lastly, I just want you to understand. No one here thinks little of you. No one here thinks that you can't handle yourselves. We don't think that you've had it easy, and we don't belittle your past experience. We don't doubt your abilities or your resourcefulness. But we have grown to greatly respect you guys and we care about you a lot. I think you scared us a bit when you just immediately decided to go on a rescue mission against a bunch of Death Eaters.

"You have to remember that we're not used to that kind of thing. We had just been kind of naive school kids up until you guys came here and started training us and opened our eyes to the real world. Even now it's sometimes a little surreal. I mean, we're barely seventeen and we're preparing to fight to the death in a war. It's kind of a big deal. I guess I just want you guys to know that we're here for you every step of the way, but sometimes you might need to just slow down for a minute and let us soak it in. It may not be new for you, but it definitely is for us."

Fred had rocked back onto his heels at one point during the speech and looked a little shell shocked. He had been too busy feeling attacked and defensive earlier to stop and really think about what the others may be going through. He supposed it must be rather frightening to suddenly have to face your friends jumping at the chance to leave to go fight against an almost unknown enemy when you're not already used to that kind of thing.

Hermione looked slightly ashamed when Nikki finished talking. She hadn't bothered to think about the others either. She had been too caught up in her own pain. She hadn't thought about how different and startling it would be for someone 'new to the game' so to speak to suddenly have people they care about ready to go looking for a fight. All she had to do to understand was look back in her memories to all of the times when Harry would take it upon himself to fix something or save someone and how she felt when he was racing off, face first, into danger. She knew how terrifying it was to worry about whether or not your friend's recklessness would get them killed this time or if it would just result in a trip to the hospital wing.

Hermione turned guiltily to her friends around the room. Her guilty increased when she saw how nervous they all looked. It took her right back to how she and Ron had felt the summer before 5th year when they had to tiptoe around Harry; never sure what would set him off.

"I'm so sorry you guys," she said, looking each of them in the face earnestly. "I didn't even stop to think… I was just caught up in my own emotions. I'm sorry I expected all of you to be on the same page as I was. It was selfish of me not to even try to understand things from your perspective." Fred nodded his agreement with her words and apology, looking equally sincere.

"Can you forgive me if I promise to tone it down a bit?" Hermione asked anxiously. Alice rolled her eyes.

"Of course we can. We're your friends. You don't expect us to hold a grudge forever do you?" she asked with one corner of her lips quirked up in a grin. Hermione smiled slightly back and shook her head ruefully.

"No, but I do feel bad. I've been in your shoes many times before with Harry and I should have been more understanding," she explained.

"Well don't worry about it," Lily joined the conversation, flicking the issue away with her hand. "We forgive you, right boys?" The Marauders all nodded eagerly, glad that they were no longer being yelled at. Hermione could be a bit scary.

"Of course," Sirius answered breezily.

"Now are we going to plan this rescue mission or what?" James asked with a grin as he ruffled his hair. Lily scowled and shoved his hand off his head. James grinned cheekily back at her causing her to stick her tongue out at him in retaliation. Hermione smiled at the pair and had the brief wistful thought that she wished Harry could see them like this. Then she remembered that if things went her way he'd have a lifetime of seeing them together like this.

"Right," Fred said eagerly and he rubbed his hands together and took a seat on the couch beside Nikki. "Is everyone in? Excellent. Let's get to work."

They immediately began plotting and making theories and hypotheses. Nikki narrowed down the possibly locations used to being either her mother's house or her mother's favorite vacation home in Whales. The vacation home held more promise because it was alone on the shoreline whereas her mother's primary home was a townhome located in the midst of a large city.

Hermione was hunched over a low coffee table quickly scribbling notes as fast as her quill would allow. It was Peter who made the suggestion that they just do away with the large furniture and instead seat themselves around a large table. That way Hermione could take her notes much more comfortably and the rest of them would also have the ability to write down anything that could come to mind.

They decided universally that they should make rescue plans for both homes, that way, regardless of where George was being held, they would be prepared. Nikki sketched detailed drawings of both floor plans and then used her wand to make copies for everyone to have. Fred was impressed as he examined his floor plans.

"These are really good," he told Nikki, who sat beside him at the table. "Do you sketch a lot?" Nikki shrugged slightly and looked just to the left of Fred's face, obviously embarrassed.

"Some. It's not a big deal," she replied. Fred shook his head with an amused smile as he went back to studying his layouts.

"Well now I know who to come to after George and I get our new shop opened and we need someone to make our posters for us. Artists we are not," Fred said lightly.

"Okay so I think there is something else we need to be prepared for, just in case," Remus spoke up. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned their attention to him.

"I think we need to be prepared, just in case, for if George isn't at either of these places and they are just meeting points to grab Nikki and take her elsewhere." The room was dead quiet as the group thought over this possibility. It would certainly make things more difficult for them if that were the case. Hermione was frowning, deep in thought.

"Fred? How far did you and George get in recreating your Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes stock?" she asked after several minutes of thinking. Fred frowned and tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"Well we've got our snackboxes of course, fake wands, canary crèmes, decoy detonators, and we've almost got our new product finished. It doesn't have a name yet, but it's a modified version of Polyjuice Potion. It's a candy chew that once you eat it will turn you into a famous wizard of your choice for about an hour. Why?" Fred asked, intrigued. Hermione said nothing for a few moments as she thought it out in her head.

"So your new product," she began, ignoring his question, "Did you have to make regular Polyjuice Potion to use in it?" Fred raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Well, yeah we did actually," he replied. A slow grin began working its way over Hermione's face.

"How much do you have left?" she asked excitedly. Fred raised his eyebrows at her in amusement.

"Not enough for all of us if that's what you're thinking, but definitely enough to last one or two of us for an hour or so," he told her. Hermione beamed at him.

"Perfect," she said clasping her hands together in front of her on the table and leaning forward over them. "I think I have a plan."

**AN: Short chapter, I know. The next one will be long though, I'm sure of it. A HUGE shout out to all of my lovely reviewers! YOU GUYS ROCK! If I'd have known that was the response I'd get I would've started nagging long ago. Lol But really. You guys are amazing. Keep up the awesomeness!**

**On a totally unrelated and slightly irrelevant note: My sister-in-law wants to read my fic (stupid husband has to go spouting off to the whole world. Lol) but I'm all self-conscious n stuff so I haven't let her. It's one thing to put myself out there to people I don't know and will more than likely never see in my life, but totally another for people I KNOW and INTERACT WITH on a fairly consistent basis to get such on insight into my heart and soul… But anyway I'm not really sure where I was going with this. I kind of want your opinions on the matter, but at the same time (based off of your wonderful reviews) I think I already know the response I'll get. So I guess you can leave your opinion if you so choose or keep it to yourself. Your call.**

**STAY WONDERFUL!**


	20. Ch 20:R is for Rescue S is for Sacrifice

**DISCLAIMER: Yeah it's not mine and blah blah blah.**

_._

_Previously…_

_ "Did you have to make regular Polyjuice Potion to use in it?" Fred raised his eyebrows in surprise._

"_Well, yeah we did actually," he replied. A slow grin began working its way over Hermione's face._

_ "How much do you have left?" she asked excitedly. Fred raised his eyebrows at her in amusement._

"_Not enough for all of us if that's what you're thinking, but definitely enough for one or two of us to last for an hour or so with it," he told her. Hermione beamed at him._

"_Perfect," she said clasping her hands together in front of her on the table and leaning forward over them. "I think I have a plan."_

**.**

**Chapter 20: "R" is for Rescue "S" is for Sacrifice**

.

The room was silent as everyone sat in their seats around the large wooden table mentally preparing themselves for their role in rescuing George. Everyone had wanted to be a part of it after getting over the initial shock, even Peter. This was a big surprise to everyone. They had assumed that Peter would choose not to involve himself, but he was determined to help his friends and become more like the other Gryffindors. It had taken awhile, but Peter had grown more confident in himself and his abilities these past few months.

In the past it would have been most unusual to see Peter off by himself when he could be with the other Marauders. Now however, he had actually made friends outside of his group. He had also joined the Gobstones club, something he had been wanting to do since first year, but since none of the other Marauders were interested, hadn't. He was coming out of his shell quite a bit and everyone aside from James, Sirius, and Remus were surprised to find that he could be quite smart and funny when he felt confident enough.

"Okay, so everyone knows what they're supposed to do right?" Hermione asked, feeling assured in her plan and their abilities, but nervous all the same. She received various nods and murmurs of 'Yes' in response. Hermione nodded more to herself than the rest of the group as she stood and began pacing slightly beside their table in the 'War Room' as they had coined the room in its current state.

"Do we have everything we need? Polyjuice, fake wands, the cloak, the map? I have my bracelet," Hermione asked as she checked her beaded bag that she had resurrected for this mission after not having carried it with her for months.

"Yes, Hermione," Fred answered in a bored tone that suggested that she had run through these items many times. "We've only been going over the plans all day. And before you ask again, yes, we all know red means trouble and gold means it's time to go." Hermione turned and glared half-heartedly at Fred.

"I'm just making sure we're prepared. I don't want to get there and the entire mission be compromised because we overlooked something. It seems like something like that happens whenever we make a plan so I just want to make sure we've thought everything out," Hermione explained impatiently. Fred rolled his eyes.

"Hermione to be anymore prepared we would have to personally interview the Death Eaters and Voldemort himself on how they will react to getting their arses handed to them by a bunch of teenagers," Fred told her irritably. Hermione glared at him again, but otherwise chose to ignore him.

"Peter, are you sure you want to do this?" Hermione asked him kindly. Peter had been looking more and more ashen faced as the evening progressed and Hermione wanted to give him one last chance to back out if he didn't think he could handle it. The last thing they needed was for him to get cold feet in the middle of the rescue and have to worry about getting him out alive as well as George. Peter's eyes widened slightly at the question, but almost immediately he nodded his head.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I don't… I don't want to become the monster that I was in your guys' time. And I don't want to just leave you guys risking your lives while I hide like on Christmas either. I still feel guilty about that. And I've got to start standing up for myself and my friends sometime, so why not now?" he said with a slight shrug of his shoulders. James clapped him on the shoulder in a show of support and even Sirius looked proud.

"Atta boy Wormy," Sirius said as he socked him in the shoulder opposite from James. "Marauders are brothers and we stick together, yeah?" he said with a grin. Peter grinned back looking immensely pleased at Sirius's approval and gained a little color back to his cheeks.

"Course Padfoot," he replied as he looked across the table to Remus, wordlessly asking for his forgiveness also. Remus smiled at him.

"You know we'd do anything for you Wormtail. Don't you remember the rules we made second year after you guys found out about my, er, condition?" Remus asked with a raised brow. Peter scrunched his forehead in thought as he tried to remember.

"Marauders have each other's backs in times of need. No excuses," Peter recited from memory.

"Marauders are obligated to help Hogwarts remember that life is better when you're laughing and that there is **always** a time and a place for mischief making, no matter what McGonagall may otherwise imply," James added with a grin.

"Marauders may disregard the last rule in regard to Slytherins. Sometimes they just need to be laughed at rather than laughed with," Sirius said smirking.

"Marauders are brothers first and friends second. This means that no arguments or disagreements shall keep them apart, for brothers always come back to each other in the end," Remus finished.

"Thanks guys. I'd forgotten about those," Peter confessed sheepishly. James grinned at him.

"What are brothers for? And I still have the original parchment in my trunk. It's a bit beat up but still readable," he told Peter. Peter nodded.

"Do you think I could see it when we get back?" he asked sounding a bit unsure.

"Course you can!" James told him. "It's official Marauder property and you are a Marauder after all." Peter simply grinned back in response.

"Alright," Fred interrupted, rubbing his hands together. "Are we ready then? I'd rather not leave my brother in that hell hole any longer than strictly necessary." Faces once again grew serious around the room.

"Right," Hermione agreed, mentally shaking the Marauder's touching scene from her head. She needed to focus on George now. "So we have everything we need and everyone knows what they need to do in both possible situations right?" Everyone confirmed this, Fred in a rather exasperated tone.

"Okay. We're going to the vacation home in Whales first. Remus you've got the map right?" she asked. Fred rolled his eyes as Remus held up the Marauder's Map in response.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good," Remus spoke as he tapped his wand against the somewhat worn parchment. "It's clear to the one-eyed witch now, but we'll have to go now before patrols circle around," he announced.

"Perfect," Hermione said as they all rose to their feet, not bothering to push their chairs back to the table. "Keep the map out Remus and keep an eye on it. And remember everyone, when we get to the house don't light your wands. Let your eyes adjust naturally so you don't give away where-,"

"We _know_, Hermione," Fred interrupted impatiently as he placed a hand on the small of her back to gently push her to the door. "Let's go."

.

O.o O.o O.o O.o O.o O.o O.o O.o O.o O.o O.o O.o O.o O.o

.

Hermione was crouched behind a large bush and was peeking through the branches at a large Victorian home. There were no lights on in the house. It looked dark and vacant, but Hermione knew better than to think that meant it was truly empty. She shivered slightly as a cool night breeze caressed the back of her neck. Her arms erupted in goose bumps under her light, black cloak that was just a little too long. The house seemed to permeate a dark, uneasy feeling, like the house itself was partly evil. Or maybe that was a feeling that Hermione was getting from her own knowledge of the owner of the house and what kinds of things must have gone on there.

Hermione glanced at Nikki from the corner of her eye. She looked extremely pale as she stared hatefully at the house that no doubt aroused many unwanted memories. Hermione had tried to talk to Nikki earlier that day about what her mother had revealed of her past, but Nikki had brushed her off and quickly changed the subject. Hermione got the feeling that she was trying to ignore her past in the hopes that one day it would just go away. Hermione could only hope that she would open up and talk to someone about it on her own, because she knew that pushing her to talk would only upset her and end up pushing her away.

Hermione turned to her other side to see Fred. He was intently staring down the house before them, eyes sweeping the windows and grounds for any sign of life. He looked the most serious Hermione had ever seen him. He felt Hermione's gaze upon him and turned to meet it.

"You ready?" he asked. Hermione nodded silently and reached into her pocket for the vial she knew was there. She pinched it between her fingers and eyed it distastefully.

"Well, here it goes," she said with a determined frown. She pulled the stopper and threw it back in one gulp.

"Ugh." She grimaced at the taste just before she gasped in pain. It didn't matter how many times she had taken Polyjuice Potion. It was still extremely painful for your bones and muscles to reform into someone else's. The pain suddenly stopped and Hermione uncurled herself from where she had collapsed to her knees and balanced on the balls of her feet in a squat instead.

"Nikki! You didn't tell me you have a twin too!" Fred joked quietly in mock surprise. Hermione and Nikki both rolled their eyes.

"Oh stuff it," Nikki told him.

"You ready Fred?" Hermione asked, now Nikki's double. Fred immediately sobered and bobbed his head in affirmation. "Alright. Let's go then," she said softly.

Fred threw James's invisibility cloak over himself and stood while Hermione rose to her feet as well. Hermione took a deep breath before setting off at a quick pace. Her wand was clenched tightly in her hand and her robes, now the correct length, fanned out behind her as she strode across the lawn. Fred followed half a step behind her, his wand also out and at the ready. He knew that George would never forgive him if he let something happen to Hermione while she tried to rescue him. So he had made it perfectly clear to her during the planning process that there would be no solo heroics and she would always have a backup nearby, whether the Death Eaters knew it or not.

Hermione didn't slow as she reached the front door and yanked it open, allowing it to slam into the wall on the inside. She paused ever so slightly in the doorway and then immediately continued in and towards the middle of the house where Nikki had informed them that there was a secret hidden room. Fred followed her closely, but unlike Hermione, who walked with her attention focused straight ahead to her destination, his eyes swept the interior of the home, alert for any danger.

It was obvious the house hadn't been lived in for quite some time. There was a multitude of cobwebs dangling from just about everything. Dust coated everything from the thick plush carpet under their feet to the picture frames on the walls that were full of what appeared to be ancient ancestors, long dead. They passed several doorways and turned down multiple hallways before Fred focused his attention back to the front of them.

They had reached the hallway that Nikki had described to them, and just as she had said, there on the left was the bust of the ugly middle-aged man with shoulder length hair, a large crooked nose, and eyes that appeared mean and cold even in stone. Fred had a brief, but horrifying thought that the man resembled Severus Snape and that Nikki might actually be related to the great greasy git.

"The secret to achieving success is to show no mercy," Hermione spoke confidently to the statue. The bust turned its head stiffly to stare at Hermione and fixed its cold stare upon her face.

"It has been some time since you have last been home, Miss Gilliam," the man remarked in a cold drawl. Hermione glared firmly at the bust.

"This is no home of mine," she said in an equally cold voice. "Now let me in, Zachariah. I have business to attend to." The bust raised its eyebrow disdainfully at her tone.

"As you wish Miss," he replied in a bored tone. Hermione stepped aside as he sucked in a deep breath and blew it out at the wall directly across from him. The wall shimmered momentarily before dissolving completely, revealing the room beyond. The room was cavernous. The floor was solid marble with intricately carved pillars reaching up to the distant ceiling. Beautiful, but dark and almost oppressive chandeliers hung from the ceiling. The ceiling itself was a labyrinth of complicated artwork. The gothic style room, in comparison to the rest of the house, was in pristine condition. Fred couldn't help but think there must have been some magic involved in keeping the room so untarnished.

"Well, well, well. It's about time mummy's baby girl decided to show. We were starting to think that you didn't care enough for your ickle boy toy to come rescue him. He's a little worse for wear, but he's still alive, if just barely," a harsh female voice rang out from seemingly nowhere in particular. Hermione and Fred both had their wands held aloft as they scanned the room for the owner of the voice.

"Where is he?" Hermione snarled in response as her eyes flicked around the room, finding no one. The disembodied voice laughed, the sound bouncing around off the walls. Fred felt goose bumps rise unbidden on his arms.

"Well that would be too easy now wouldn't it? How about I just surprise you and take you to him." Hermione tensed in preparation for what was coming, but had no time to react before she was hit with a silent disarming spell that came from just a few short meters to her left. Her wand spun into the air in the direction the spell had been cast from. It stopped suddenly as though it had been caught. Hermione took a half a step towards the invisible person, but then her arms and legs snapped together as she was hit with a full body bind curse. She toppled over and hit the ground hard.

Fred silently cursed himself for not reacting in time and getting a cushioning charm down on the floor for her. It would complicate things immensely if Hermione got knocked unconscious. Fred breathed a quiet sigh of relief when he saw Hermione was conscious and glaring in the general direction of her attacker. Fred looked up to where the invisible woman must have been just in time for her to reveal herself.

Hermione's eyes widened in shock and Fred sucked in a breath at her identity. It was Bellatrix Lestrange. Hermione's eyes narrowed in hatred and Fred was sure that if she had the ability to move she'd be cursing her to hell and back and then back to hell again.

Fred's hand twitched on his wand, but he refrained from cursing her himself. It would ruin their entire plan if he revealed himself. He was only there as a necessary precaution, and if they were found out who knows how they would find George. Bellatrix smirked at the witch whom she thought was Nikki lying on the floor and slowly made her way across the room until she stood with Hermione at her feet.

"Oh how the mighty fall," she taunted. "Not so proud now are you? You are at my mercy." Bellatrix laughed. "Did you know that the Dark Lord gave me permission to kill little Freddie if you don't cooperate?" Bellatrix asked in a sugary tone as she sneered down at Hermione. Fred's eyes widened slightly as he took in that news. One: that they truly thought that George was him. Two: That Bellatrix thought she was going to get to kill his brother. Like hell.

"It's been fun playing with Freddie while we've waited for you to show your pretty little face," Bellatrix goaded as she leaned over and dragged one of her long nails down Hermione's cheek. Hermione refused to shudder or look away as she glared with all of the hatred she could summon directly into her former torturer's cold, black eyes.

"Oh how he loves to _scream_," Bellatrix continued as she breathed her putrid breath on Hermione's face. "He will be fun to break before I kill him."

Fred could feel his wand hand trembling in fury as he glared daggers into Bellatrix. It was taking all of his willpower to restrain himself from just killing her right then. _The plan_. He reminded himself. _If I ruin the plan now I won't be able to get to George_. He could see Hermione's body trembling in anger and had no doubt that if she had the ability she would be physically attacking Bellatrix right now.

"Scared for your little Freddie?" Bellatrix asked, misinterpreting Hermione's trembling. "If I were you I'd save your fear for yourself. The Dark Lord doesn't take to rejection kindly. You'll be lucky if he's merciful enough to kill you when he's finished with you. I only wish he would let me do the deed myself. I would love to draw it out over months and months; maybe recreate some of the activities that your dear mother tells me you enjoyed back when you lived here in this pit with her. Unfortunately, the Dark Lord insisted, but he so kindly is allowing me to do as I please with your filthy boyfriend," Bellatrix told her with a malicious grin.

Fred's insides clenched and his ears were ringing with his rage. He had never felt this much hatred for one person before in his life. Not even Voldemort had inspired this kind of abhorrence in him. Every fiber of his being was itching to do as much physical damage as possible to this _thing_ before finishing her off and ridding her from the world forever. The only thing that held him back was the thought that George's life was on the line.

"I believe we've kept the Dark Lord waiting long enough," Bellatrix said in a sickeningly sweet voice. "He's not a patient man you know. Leaving him waiting for four days was not in your best interest. I'm afraid he will have you punished most harshly for your tardiness," Bellatrix told her, a stomach-turning smile on her face and bloodlust shinning from her eyes. Bellatrix flicked her wand, causing Hermione to levitate off the floor. She then grabbed Hermione's arm and disapparated with a crack.

Fred immediately followed suit, reappearing where he and Hermione had left the others. Fred whipped off the cloak and all but threw it at James and then began digging through his pockets.

"Fred?"

"What happened?"

"Did they take her?"

Fred ignored everyone and pulled the object he had been searching for from his pocket. It was a glass marble about the size of a hazelnut. It was a sky blue color with wisps of cloudy white swirling slowly inside it. Fred tapped it with his wand.

"Point Me," he said. Light erupted from the marble and formed a hologram like picture. The picture showed a small run down shack situated in a small clearing in a woodsy area. Fred scanned the image looking for an ideal place for them to pop in without attracting notice. There was a small clump of trees off in the far corner of the image that looked ideal for hiding their group and was far enough away from the structure that they were likely outside any wards that may be in place.

"Alright," Fred began, "We're going to have to aim for right behind that group of trees there," he told the others, pointing at the location he was talking about. "You'll have to concentrate as hard as you can on it. We don't want you popping into the open, and we certainly don't want you getting too close and set off a Caterwauling Charm they may have in place. Everyone ready?"

"Wait Fred," Alice spoke up. "What happened? Why are you-"

"It doesn't matter," Fred dismissed quickly. "We need to go now."

"But Hermione-,"

Fred scowled in frustration and opened his mouth to cut her off again, but a pair of soft hands grabbed either side of his face and turned it so he was now staring into a pair of cool blue eyes.

"What's wrong Fred?" Nikki asked once she had Fred's attention, not releasing his face.

"Bellatrix was there. She took Hermione. She's been torturing George. She's going to kill him. Please, we have to go _now_," Fred told her, panic edging his voice for the first time. Nikki's eyes hardened and she dropped her hands from his face. Everyone else wore looks of shock on their faces with hints of worry.

"Alright, you heard him. It's time. Everyone know where we're going? You all know what you have to do. Let's bring them home," Nikki ordered, effortlessly stepping into the leader role that Hermione had left behind. Everyone nodded in understanding and agreement. Fred was the first to disapparate, desperate to save his brother and the girl who had become as good as his sister.

When he arrived he noticed the terrain was very much the same as at the home in Whales and yet entirely different all at once. Before, he had been in a small wood that had been purposefully planted there. The trees had been spaced evenly and the shrubs and other plant life were strategically placed around the large manor. Here he was also located in a small wood overlooking a property, although it was a natural wood. The trees and bushes grew where they pleased, whether you liked them there or not. There was a distinct mossy smell to the air that was almost over powered by the stench that could only be coming from what Fred could now identify as a dilapidated cabin in front of him.

Fred resisted the urge to use his sleeve to cover his nose and block the odor. It was of rotting wood, decay, and the unmistakable scent identified as blood. Fred's stomach turned when the unbidden thought of whose blood that most likely was entered his mind. Several quiet pops alerted him to the arrival of his friends. They all immediately wrinkled their noses at the smell and the girls all covered their noses while Peter gagged and James looked nauseous.

"What is _that_?" Peter asked sounding revolted. Fred grimaced.

"I'd rather not think about it if you don't mind," he mumbled as he rummaged around in his pocket again. Nikki shot him a sympathetic glance as Peter winced at his own insensitivity. Fred pulled a vial from his pocket that looked very similar to the one Hermione had earlier.

"Who wants to bet that it tastes like slimy flobberworm guts?" Fred asked. Sirius snorted.

"No one's going to bet against you there mate," he told him. Fred smirked at him and unstoppered the vial.

"Too right," he agreed, eyeing the liquid the vial contained distrustfully.

"What I want to know is _how_ you know what slimy flobberworm guts taste like," Nikki said looking faintly amused. Fred flashed her a grin and winked.

"If we live through this I'll tell you," he told her. "Bottoms up." He downed the contents and gagged slightly.

"Yep… Nasty," he grunted out even though he was hunched over in pain as his body reshaped itself. Fred's body stopped changing and he straightened up. Sirius pulled a face at him.

"Sorry mate, but just looking at your face makes me want to hex you," he admitted. Fred frowned at him.

"I hope this doesn't permanently damage my sex appeal. This is not going to work for the ladies," Fred complained as he felt his face and hair. Nikki laughed.

"You think you have sex appeal? You really are a jokester," she teased. Fred stuck his tongue out at her causing Lily to burst out laughing. Everyone turned to look at her and she just shrugged.

"Sorry I've just never seen Severus stick his tongue out at anyone before and it was rather funny looking," she confessed. Fred shook his head.

"Not even five minutes as the Great Greasy Git and I'm itching to be back to myself. Seriously. All this grease on my head itches like crazy," he whined as he scratched his scalp. "George will forever be in my debt for this," he vowed. Nikki rolled her eyes.

"Alright. So Lily and Alice, we'll go hide back a little ways behind those bushes there. Boys you've all got your real wands hidden somewhere you can get to them quickly right? Good. Fred you have all the fake wands that you supposedly took from them? Okay, just make sure you don't mix them up with your own wand," she advised. Fred scowled at her.

"_I know_. I'm not an amateur," he complained. Nikki raised an eyebrow.

"Did you pay any attention at all to Lily's Snape lessons? I swear she had you at it forever. If you still haven't figured out how act like him we're doomed," she informed him. Fred sneered at her in response. Nikki blinked in surprise for a moment before she smiled at him.

"Good, just keep that up and we'll be back to Hogwarts before we know it," she told him. Fred rolled his eyes and turned to the Marauders.

"Alrighty boys, I'm taking you prisoner. Try to act nervous or something please," Fred told them. The Marauders all raised their eyebrows at him.

"We're Marauders, of course we can act," Remus answered. Fred rolled his eyes.

"Let's go then," He commanded.

Fred walked behind them, his wand held aloft and his head high as his black robes billowed out behind him, much to his amusement. As the group neared the cabin the smell got worse and Fred found it much easier to hold his sneer in place. They were about three meters from the door when two hulking figures stepped out of the shadows and blocked his path.

"Get out of the way, fools," Fred spat. "I found these prisoners lurking around Gilliam Estate, no doubt hoping to assist their idiotic friend." The guards looked at Fred in mild surprise.

"Snape?" One of them asked. "But I thought you were-," an elbow to the ribs by his partner shut him up.

"Go ahead and take them down Severus," his counterpart told him. "Filthy blood traitors no doubt," he said with a sneer that revealed several rotting teeth, all with a slightly greenish tint. Fred sneered in response as relief flooded his body. He had thought they were in trouble for a moment there.

"Oh no doubt," he replied. The guard snatched the fistful of wands from Fred's hand and Fred let him have them. Then he kicked James through the doorway as the Death Eater held the door open. James glared back at Fred.

"You won't get away with this," he snarled convincingly. Fred smirked at him.

"We already have," he replied. "I've waited _years_ for this. I hope the Dark Lord lets me do the honors."

"You're on the losing side, _Snively_," James taunted. "I hope you're not too attached to living, because you're too pathetic to survive the war." Fred scowled at him and flicked his wand, causing a cut to appear on James's cheek and then shoved him forward.

"You're in no place to be mocking, _Potter_," Fred spat. "You'll face your demise soon enough and I hope that it's slow and painful. Soon you will be _begging_ for death."

"What is with you guys?" Sirius jumped in. "Is that your go to threat or something? That we'll be _begging_ for death? C'mon get something more original or-,"

"SILENCE!" Fred roared as he waved his wand at them, casting a silent silencing charm. "I have had enough from you filthy blood traitors. No more! This time you've all bitten off more than you can chew. The person to kill you all will be doing a service to wizard kind and I pray that I am the one get that happy honor."

"Enough chitchat Severus," the guard spoke up. "The Dark Lord is on his way to deal with the blood traitor girl, so you'd best get those four locked up before he gets here." Fred's heart started beating faster, but he didn't let his outward appearance change.

"Of course," he replied. He looked beyond the Marauders and saw a staircase leading down and shoved them toward it. They stumbled forward, still silenced, and Fred followed. To his dismay one of the guards followed him also.

"So Severus, where did you find these kids again?" he asked as he scrutinized the Marauders.

"They were loitering around outside the Gilliam Estate. I found them shortly after Bellatrix left with the girl. No doubt they followed her there to try to play hero and were too stupid to figure out how to get in the front door," Fred answered with a sneer. The Marauders turned back to glare at him and Fred responded by flicking his wand and causing them to all stumble down a few steps. The Death Eater that was now walking beside Fred laughed.

"Yes they are foolish to think they can win against the Dark Lord. He has more power than they can imagine and soon we shall be back where we belong in our rightful place as rulers over the muggles," the man chattered.

"Yes," Fred answered with a smug smirk, hoping that the Death Eater would turn back and leave them alone. They reached the bottom of the stairs and the stench was now so bad that Fred was trying to breathe shallowly out of his mouth. It was also incredibly dark. There were a few torchlights on the walls and they allowed Fred to see that they were standing at the beginning of a long corridor with barred cells on either side.

"We put the Gilliam girl and her little boyfriend in cells across from each other," the guard informed them with a wicked laugh. "Close enough to see each other, but not enough to touch or comfort." He laughed again and Fred didn't bother joining in. Firstly, because he had never heard Snape laugh _in his life_ and secondly, because he wasn't quite sure he could pull one off right now anyway.

"Where do you want this useless scum?" Fred asked once the laughter died away a bit. The guard paused as though in thought.

"Why not put them in with the girl? Could be interesting if they decide to have one last time with a girl before the Dark Lord orders their deaths. I've heard the girl has some experience too, if you know what I mean," the Death Eater said with a wink. Fred's stomach rolled and he couldn't bring himself to answer. Instead he flicked his wand and caused the Marauders to stumble forward again.

"You heard him. Get moving. Unless you're deaf now as well as incompetent," he ordered loudly. The Marauders obeyed after each turning to glare over their shoulders. They all walked down the corridor until they reached the dankest, darkest cells at the end. That was where they found George and Hermione. Hermione was on his right and looked only slightly bruised and beat up. She was nursing a swollen lip and had a large goose egg on her forehead that Fred guessed was from her hitting the floor in the ballroom. She tried to make eye contact with him, but he avoided it.

Fred turned to his left and sucked in a breath when he saw George. George was a bloody heap on the floor. His muggle clothes he had been wearing that day in Hogsmead were torn and so filthy it was impossible to identify their original color. George's face was very pale and he appeared to be unconscious as he laid there in the fetal position. His face was covered in cuts and bruises and his left arm was turned at an unnatural angle that made Fred want to gag. The only thing that brought Fred any relief was the steady rise and fall of his brother's chest. There was still hope.

"Back against the wall, girl."

Fred tore his eyes away from his twin. He needed to keep up the charade just a bit longer and they would be home free. The guard slid open the barred door to Hermione's cell and Fred shoved the Marauders in. He sneered after them and opened his mouth to make some biting remark, but was interrupted by his wand flying out of his hand. Fred turned in surprise to the guard just as a red light hit him in the chest, knocking him unconscious. Fred collapsed in a heap and the Death Eater kicked his body into the cell with his friends who stood still in shock. The guard slid the door shut and sneered at them through the bars.

"When your little friend wakes up make sure to tell him that he was very convincing, but we already saw Severus Snape today and he was on an assignment accompanying the Dark Lord, not monitoring the Gilliam Estate," guard taunted as he waved his fistful of wands at them and then began walking off. Hermione was on her feet before she had fully thought through her deviation from their failed plan.

"_Stupefy_. _Expelliarmus_," she cried, causing the guard to fall to the ground before he knew what was happening. His fistful of wands flew towards her, but then scattered across the corridor when they hit the bars.

"_Accio Fred's wand. Accio Death Eater's wand,_" she called out. Two of the wands flew between the bars this time and into her outstretched hand.

"_Enervate,_" Hermione murmured as she pressed the tip of her wand into Fred's chest. With a great gasp Fred came to and sat up, holding his head. He looked around the cell and saw the guard on the ground not far from it with the wands scattered all around him and groaned.

"What happened?" he asked as he accepted his wand that Hermione, still appearing as Nikki, handed him. He then flicked his wand at the Marauders, releasing them from his silencing spell.

"We messed up," she responded as she flicked her wand at the bars to their cell. "Snape is with Voldemort. They knew you were an imposter." Fred scowled as he rose to his feet and dusted off his robes.

"Figures," he mumbled.

"Nice," Sirius complimented Hermione as he examined what was left of their prison bars. She had melted them and now there was nothing but metal stubs on the tops and bottoms of their former cell.

"Thanks," she responded distractedly as she began melting George's as well. Fred watched as the bars melted down like ice cream in a fireplace. It _was_ pretty cool. As soon as the bars had finished melting Fred and Hermione both rushed in. Hermione dropped to her knees on one side of George while Fred dropped down on the other side. Hermione placed her hands on either side of his face and patted his cheeks lightly as she tried to rouse him.

'"George, George wake up. We need to go. We need to get you out of here. Wake up, George," Hermione urged quietly. George stirred slightly and shook his head without opening his eyes and with a slight frown on his face.

"Mm not Gerge," he slurred. "Mm Fred. Not Gerge. Don't go git 'im. E's safe."

Fred's chest constricted painfully. George was trying to protect him even when he had been beaten and bloodied to the point of unconsciousness. Hermione had to clear her throat to speak as it had constricted.

"George, it's Hermione. Fred's here too. We're here to get you out and take you home."

George's frown deepened and he shook his head again, eyes still shut firmly.

"No. Mione safe. At 'Ogwarts. Not here. 'Nywhere but here," he mumbled. Hermione blinked back her tears and had to press her hand to her mouth to contain her sobs. Fred decided he should give it a try.

"George you bastard get up," he said forcefully. "We came all this way to get you and went through all this trouble. The least you could do is have the decency to believe that we're actually here."

George smiled slightly at his twin's speech.

"Fred," he said, more clearly than anything else had been. "Arsehole. You died on me. Left me alone. Show you how it feels, bloody git." Fred actually laughed and retaliated by flicking George in his still intact ear.

"George you prat, get up. You're scaring poor Hermione," Fred chastised him. George grimaced and cracked open an eye for the first time.

"She really here too then?" he asked as he tried to focus on the faces hovering above his.

"Yes," she answered firmly. George groaned and closed his eyes again.

"Fred how could you?" he demanded weakly. Fred snorted.

"I'd like to see you stop her. And besides it was her idea. I don't think I'd have been able to find you without her anyway," he told his twin. George started to chuckle, but quickly stopped and rested a hand against his ribs as he grimaced in pain.

"Good point," he gasped out through the throbbing of his broken ribs. "Smartest witch of her age. I couldn't date anyone less." Hermione scowled at him.

"If you two are done joking around, we have a Death Eater prison to escape from before Voldemort arrives to torture me to death," Hermione snapped at them. George winced.

"Why are they after you? How did you find me anyway?" he asked as he squinted up at her again. This time he frowned.

"Why do you look like Nikki? Ugh. And why do _you_ look like Snape of all people?" George asked in a disgusted tone. Fred grimaced.

"It was not done without much complaining dear brother and you owe me big time," he assured him. Hermione snorted.

"He's not kidding," she grumbled. "I Polyjuiced into Nikki and allowed them to take me and then Fred tracked me down using the tracking charm that you put on my bracelet without telling me," Hermione explained, giving George a stern look to let him know that she was not happy with his deception. George grinned sheepishly, but decided to ignore that slight detail for now.

"Hermione," George began in an exasperated tone. "How do you get yourself and others into these situations?" Hermione rolled her eyes, but his time a small smile tugged at her lips.

"Actually I believe it was your fault this time," she replied. George grinned slightly.

"I blame Fred. Big oaf."

"Hey!" Fred responded. Hermione laughed quietly and handed George the wand she had taken from the Death Eater. He murmured a quiet 'thanks'.

"George can you stand?" she asked. George pulled a face.

"Maybe if I have help getting to my feet. Broken ribs are no walk in the park, let me tell you," Hermione frowned in sympathy and Fred immediately moved to help his brother to his feet.

"Watch the arm," George warned. "Hurts like hell. It's only been getting worse."

"How long has it been broken?" Hermione asked tentatively as she watched Fred haul his brother to a standing position. George pressed a hand to the right side of his chest with his face screwed up in pain as he took several shallow breaths.

"Well," he began slowly. "That would… depend… on how long… I've been here," he replied through the pain. Hermione frowned.

"Four days," Fred replied grimly while he stayed close to his brother incase his legs failed him.

"I'd guess about four days then," George responded. Hermione gasped.

"This whole time?" she asked.

"Since about ten minutes after I got here," he confirmed.

Hermione felt the guilt rush through her. What had she been doing at that point? _Crying in the rain_. They could have been here so much sooner had she not fallen apart.

"Hey," George said, seeing her expression. Hermione turned to look at him. "It's okay. I didn't want you guys to come anyway. I wanted you to stay safe. Don't feel bad," he reassured her as he rubbed her arm soothingly. Hermione shook her head.

"We can have this conversation later. We need to get out of here," she told him. He nodded in agreement, and then blinked in surprise when he noticed the Marauders for the first time.

"Hey guys, you got roped into coming to my rescue party too?" he asked in amusement. James opened his mouth to respond, but Hermione cut him off.

"You guys can chat later. We're escaping right now, remember?" she said irritably.

"Right. Let's see how I do stairs, yeah?" he said with a grin. Hermione frowned in concern.

"Oh come on, Mione," George said as he began walking stiffly down the corridor, Fred at his side with Hermione and the Marauders following.

"Lighten up," he told her. Hermione rolled her eyes at the absurd command.

"You George Weasley are the most ridiculous person I have ever met," she retorted.

"Hey!" Fred whined from beside George, turning to pout at her.

"Besides Fred," she added.

"Thank you," Fred sniffed at her, tilting his nose up and turning back to face forward. George started to laugh at how ridiculous Snape made that action look, but again had to immediately stop as he clutched his rib cage. The group reached the stairs and began the slow climb to the top. George was having some trouble, but was gritting his teeth and getting it done with Fred by his side and Hermione behind him, just in case. They finally made it to the top and the Marauders went out first to take care of the guard on duty. They heard a muffled shout that was immediately cut off. Remus poked his head back in.

"Coast is clear," he informed them before pulling back out and joining the rest of the Marauders as they kept their eyes peeled for any unwanted company. George stepped out of the cabin and into the night, breathing as deeply as his broken ribs would allow. He sighed in contentment.

"That's amazing," he said as he breathed in the fresh air. "I don't know if you guys noticed, but it kind of smelt a bit in there." Sirius snorted.

"A bit? That was bloody awful," he complained as they began heading away from the cabin and its anti-apparation wards. George's faced darkened.

"Yeah, they brought in a werewolf. He killed someone, I never saw who. Heard the screams though," a shudder ripped through George's body at the memory. "Horrible," he croaked.

Hermione and Fred exchanged worried glances. No one quite knew what to say to that so they were silent as they continued on their trek. The silence was suddenly shattered as alarms began blaring through the night. In an instant they were all on their guard, wands drawn and eyes scanning their surroundings.

"Hurry," Hermione urged and she scanned the tree line behind them. "We need to get out of here. That guard we left in the basement must have woken up." Everyone turned and began walking as fast as George was able to, which was not really all that fast. They had hardly made it another ten steps when cracks rent through the air.

Death Eaters were appearing all around the perimeter of the cabin's wards. Fred cursed under his breath. Hermione turned to face the Death Eaters who had yet to notice them and placed herself between them and George.

"Fred, take George and go," she said in a low urgent voice as she watched the Death Eaters scurry around to find the intruders.

"No," George told her stubbornly. "I'm not going anywhere without all of you. I'm not leaving you here."

Hermione sighed in frustration. She didn't have time to argue and she didn't have time to force him to go, so it looked like George would get his way this time. She just hoped it didn't kill him. No sooner had Hermione come to this conclusion than they were spotted. One of the Death Eaters shouted out and pointed in their direction. Hermione immediately took him down with a stunner, but it was too late. Those who hadn't seen him point them out had seen Hermione's stunner.

Hermione did a quick count as she and the others began firing off stunners and other curses while dodging those sent their way. Twenty-five. Twenty-five Death Eaters to their six capable fighters and one injured fighter. Fred must have been counting also because he ducked his way over to Hermione's side.

"Red sparks?" he asked.

"Red sparks," she agreed.

In unison they lifted their wands and shot red sparks into the air, calling the girls over to help them. Hermione paid for their lapse in concentration by getting blown off her feet and landing several feet away.

"Hermione!" George yelled as he sent curse after curse at the approaching Death Eaters while trying to see Hermione over his shoulder at the same time. He was hit with several small curses because he couldn't twist and dodge like he normally could. Help arrived just then as Lily appeared out of the foliage beside him and helped not only shield him from the minor jinxes he couldn't avoid, but also by holding off the Death Eater's with a barrage of spells.

"Thanks," George panted at her. "I need to check on Hermione." Lily quickly glanced over her shoulder and turned right back around just in time to dodge a jet of purple light.

"She's getting up. She's a fighter George. Worry about yourself for now. You're much more vulnerable," she advised. George frowned. It was good advice, but it wasn't what he wanted to hear. He decided for the time being it would be in all of their best interests to listen though. He wouldn't do them any good if he got himself killed, or knocked out.

He continued slinging a wide variety of obscure transfiguration spells and odd charms at the Death Eaters they were facing. He and Fred had found that they were much more effective to use while in battle. It may take more hits to take an opponent out than a simple stunner, but everyone knew the counter curse for a stunner and could quickly and easily revive their partners. Random transfigurations and peculiar charms on the other hand were unexpected and very few people could look at someone who had been hit by their charm work and, first, know what spell they'd used, or, second, know the counter charm off the top of their head.

He and Lily made quick work of their opponents. Lily walked up to one of the more interestingly charmed Death Eaters and nudged him with her shoe… Or did it used to be a her?

"You'll have to teach me some of these charms," she told him as she examined his handiwork. George grinned at her.

"Sure, anytime," he responded. "Well, perhaps now isn't the best time… And I have a feeling that I'm in for an extended hospital stay after this, but any time after that is fine," he joked. Lily laughed.

"Sure George," she responded. "Go check on Hermione. I'm going to go find James," she told him.

"Yes Ma'am!" George responded before he tore off towards where he had last seen Hermione, ignoring the agony that running was causing. George saw a figure who he thought could be Hermione and hurried over to her, slinging curses along the way.

"Hermione?" he asked as he approached her. The girl shook her head.

"Nope, sorry. I'm the real Nikki," she answered. George sighed in frustration.

"Have you seen her?" he asked. Nikki shook her head again.

"No, sorry George. I'm sure she's fine though. She's good at what she does," she said before she threw herself to the ground to avoid a green jet of light. George frowned. It was the second time he'd been told that as though he didn't already know.

"Well you're having a good time at any rate, right?" George asked as he grimaced in pain because a cutting curse sliced into his already broken arm. Nikki laughed and dodged to the side.

"Oh a fabulous time!" she responded. George grinned.

"Well you know this _is_ my rescue party so that makes me the host. And what kind of host doesn't check to make sure that his guests are enjoying themselves, right?" George quipped as he incapacitated yet another Death Eater. Nikki laughed again as she sent a blasting curse through the group of Death Eaters they were battling, causing them to scatter. George dodged to the left to avoid a green spell and bumped into someone. He whirled around with his wand raised, a spell half formed in his mind before he saw who it was.

"Hermione!" he exclaimed joyously as he turned back to battling the Death Eaters. Hermione, still appearing as Nikki's clone, grinned at him.

"How are the ribs?" she asked as she slashed her wand and ducked a gold light at the same time. George pulled a face.

"Eh. They've certainly seen better days," he told her. Hermione opened her mouth to respond when an explosion sent them all flying several feet backwards where they landed on their backs. Nikki and Hermione groaned and sat up.

"George?" Hermione called out in concerned. A moan of pain reached her ears. She jumped to her feet, closely followed by Nikki and they both sprinted to where she saw George sprawled on the ground flat on his back.

"George, are you okay?" Hermione asked frantically, hands hovering over his body, not sure what to do. George coughed and some blood trickled from his mouth.

"Mm alright," he mumbled softly.

"Oh George," Hermione moaned as she used the back of her sleeve to wipe the blood from his chapped lips.

"We need to get you out of here," Nikki said as her eyes swept over George and his various injuries.

"Mm alright," George repeated, louder this time. "I can still fight," he said as he tried to sit up. "Shit." he grimaced and was forced to lie back down because of the pain.

"Well what do we have here?" a high, cold voice asked as it approached the trio down in the dirt. Hermione and Nikki both immediately jumped to their feet and spun around with their wands out. Nikki's eyes widened and a gasp escaped her lips while Hermione's narrowed in loathing and she moved to block George with her body.

"Two Gilliam girls?" Voldemort asked, his red eyes wide with amusement. Hermione and Nikki said nothing. Hermione pressed her lips together and waited for what was sure to come.

"Nothing to say?" Voldemort taunted. "I can fix that. Let's find out which of you is the real Nicolette Gilliam, shall we? _Imperio_!" Hermione did nothing to dodge the curse. She knew that whatever she dodged would more than likely hit George. The spell hit her in the chest and Hermione's entire body relaxed. It was blissful to simply not think, to not feel. Her problems had been washed away.

'_Tell me your name, girl_' Voldemort's voice reverberated around her skull. Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but then shut it again with a frown. She just had a niggling feeling that she didn't want him to know her name.

'_Tell me your name'_ Voldemort's voice was more insistent this time, but Hermione had already made up her mind.

"No. I don't want to," she answered aloud.

'_You will tell me your name now, girl_,' the voice in her head sounded very angry and it took all of Hermione's willpower to keep her lips firmly pressed together and shake her head mutely.

Rage and pain instantly filled Hermione's head and the urge to yell out her name was almost irresistible. Why was she holding back, again? If she would simply tell him her name the pain would stop. What did she have to lose? Suddenly George's laughing face filled the insides of her eyelids and a warm feeling filled her from her inside chest. The warm feeling gave her the extra strength she needed and with an almighty push she forced Voldemort's presence from her mind.

Hermione gasped as her surroundings filled back in around her. The aches and pains of her body came back full force. At some point she must have dropped to her knees because Nikki was pulling her back to her feet. She was relieved to see her wand was still clenched in her fist. She regained her feet and looked up to see Voldemort, seething with rage. Hermione took a step closer to Nikki to better shield George and fixed a determined stare on Voldemort's face. Voldemort seemed to force the anger from his face and a malevolent smile took its place. Hermione suppressed a shudder.

"Insolent girl," he mocked. "You refused to tell me, but your actions speak louder than your words could ever have. Your thoughts reveal your intentions. You must be the real Gilliam and this, an imposter," Voldemort said as he flicked his wand, blasting Nikki away from Hermione and George. Hermione flinched, but stopped herself from calling out to Nikki or turning her back to Voldemort to make sure she was okay. Voldemort must have seen George's face in her head and now he had assumed that she was the real Nikki.

"I must admit that I am surprised by you, Gilliam," Voldemort said as he advanced closer to Hermione. "I thought you would have been here days ago to rescue your little boyfriend. I suppose I was wrong about that."

Hermione tried to back up a step, but her foot nudged into George's side. George groaned slightly in pain at his jostled ribs.

"You alright, George?" Hermione asked quietly as she eyed the advancing Voldemort. George grunted slightly.

"Well I'm still alive. I guess that's a good thing," he murmured back. Hermione's lips thinned. George's condition was getting worse. They needed to get out of there now. She turned her full attention back to Voldemort.

"You will pay for keeping me waiting, child. And after you have paid the price for your insolence I shall ask you whether you shall join me one last time. Your life will depend on which answer you choose."

"I'll never join you!"

Hermione jerked her head to the side to see Nikki storming back up to them. Her face was red with rage and her wand was clenched tightly in her fist. She marched past Hermione until she stood mere feet away from Voldemort.

"You might as well kill me now, because I will gladly take death over having to see your ugly face on a consistent basis," Nikki snarled and then spat at his feet. Voldemort's slit like nostrils flared and his eyes widened in anger.

"You dare?" he asked in a cold, dead tone. "You dare speak to me as such? _Crucio_!"

Nikki crumpled to the ground and began screaming in pain.

"No!" Hermione yelled. She shot a stunner at Voldemort which he had to break off the Cruciatus Curse to block. Voldemort turned to her wide eyed and angry as Nikki climbed to her feet and stood back beside Hermione.

"So which of you is the real Nicolette Gilliam? I grow weary of your games foolish children. I suppose it matters not. You shall all die tonight." As the last words escaped his lips his eyes suddenly snapped to Hermione. Hermione blinked in surprise as she shrunk a couple inches and her sleek black hair changed back to its usual bushy brown state and grew longer. Voldemort smiled and this time Hermione could not suppress a shiver as its full force was directed at her.

"Ah, Hermione Granger. I wondered when I would be meeting you. Yes I know who you are," he said with narrowed eyes and a snakelike smile when he saw her eyes widen in surprise. "You thwarted my attack on Hogsmead several months ago. I was very, _very_ angry about that. I will enjoy killing you," he said with a sneer as he raised his wand.

"No," George said as he painfully sat up from the ground behind Nikki and Hermione and shakily got to his feet. "You stay away from her," he said with as much loathing in his voice as he could muster. Voldemort laughed, high and cruel.

"You think you can stop me? Foolish boy. I should have let Bellatrix kill you days ago. Oh how she begged me to let her finish you, but I insisted she wait because I was sure the girl would come to save you. And I was right. But it seems that we had the wrong girl pegged as the one who would want to save you. But it doesn't matter. You're all here now, and you will never be leaving," Voldemort said in a quietly vicious tone accompanied by a sinister smile.

"_Crucio_!" he yelled. Hermione dropped to the ground with a scream, but was right back on her feet in a matter of seconds, not even panting. Voldemort's eyes widened in shock.

"What is this?" he hissed as he stared between Hermione and his wand. Hermione turned wide eyed to George who looked just as confused and surprised as Voldemort.

"Harry died for us George," Hermione whispered in awe. George continued to look utterly mystified. "He died for us George. To protect us. Remember? He gave us his protection just like Lily did for him! It still works!" Hermione whispered urgently, her eyes sparkling with delight. George's eyes widened in astonishment as he stared at Hermione. Hermione nodded, excited that George understood, her hair bobbing along with her head.

"_What is it_?" Voldemort hissed again. "_Crucio_! _Crucio_! _Avada Kedavra_!" he bellowed thrashing his wand at the three teens in front of him. Nikki ducked one of the Cruciatus Curses and Hermione ducked the other and pulled George out of the way of the killing curse just barely in time.

"George!" Hermione heard a panicked voice yell from her right. Voldemort turned also and his eyes widened before narrowing in betrayal. Severus Snape appeared to be running up to the group and stopped beside George.

"You okay Georgie?" he asked. George nodded slightly.

"Severus? What is the meaning of this?" Voldemort demanded. Fred blinked at him for a moment before realization dawned on his face, quickly followed by disgust.

"Ugh. I still look like that slime ball? Hermione when do I get to go back to being me?" Fred complained as he felt his greasy head. Hermione smirked at him slightly.

"Should be any minute now," she reassured him. She paused for a moment before adding, "Unless of course something went wrong then it might take several months in the hospital wing for Holly to get you right again." Fred glared at her.

"That is not funny," he told her. Hermione just smiled at him. Her smile widened as his hair started shooting back into his head and reverting back to its usual state of fiery red. His nose shrunk and he grew just slightly taller. His eyes changed from flat black to their customary deep blue.

"Ah, that's better," Fred said as he fluffed his hair. "I don't know how that greasy git can stand being himself." Voldemort had watched the whole thing through narrowed eyes.

"So there are two of you," he said thoughtfully as he watched Fred and George closely. "That explains some things." Fred and George traded glances before looking back to Voldemort and speaking in unison.

"No. Just one. You feeling okay Voldy? Maybe you should go lie down for a bit. The battle must be getting to you. Too much for your old bones," they said with serious looks upon their faces as they nodded thoughtfully. Voldemort's lips thinned and his eyes narrowed to angry red slits.

"You shall pay for your audacity. No one speaks in such a way to Lord Voldemort," he spat at them as he raised his wand.

"_Crucio_!" he yelled, pointing his wand a Fred. Fred dodged and George immediately followed up with a Jelly Legs jinx. Voldemort blocked just in time, but was not prepared for the Leg Locker curse that Fred had cast at him immediately after George's curse. Voldemort was immediately able to reverse the curse though and the fight began.

All four of them threw everything they had at him, but he was able to dodge or otherwise avoid everything they sent. Hermione fought as hard as she could, but with one wave of his wand Voldemort sent them all flying backwards through the air. Hermione landed hard because instead of trying to cushion her own fall she had cast a cushioning charm for George to land on. She wasn't sure how many more falls he could survive. Hermione struggled back to her feet as she attempted to suck air back into her lungs.

She turned to go back to fight Voldemort, but saw that Lily, James, Sirius, and Peter had taken over and were trying their hand at it now. Looking around, Hermione saw that almost all of the Death Eaters had either fled or had been taken down. The few that were left were being handled by Alice and Remus.

Hermione turned away and moved to go find George. He was lying about 10 meters back and to the left from her and he wasn't moving. She raced to his side and arrived at the same time as Fred.

"George," Fred gasped out as he reached his brother. George didn't move or respond. Fred rolled him over and Hermione checked his pulse.

"He's okay," she said after several moments. "His pulse is strong and he's breathing, but we need to get him out of here now, Fred. He's just hurting himself more." Fred nodded in agreement.

"You take him back," he ordered. "Get him to St. Mungos." Hermione frowned and opened her mouth to argue back, but a scream cut her off.

"JAMES!"

Hermione turned and saw Lily running to James and kneeling in the dirt beside him. He had a large gash on his head and appeared to be unconscious.

"Alright, I'll take him," Hermione agreed quickly. "Just make sure they all make it back, okay?" Fred nodded in determination.

"I'll do my-,"

"NO!"

Hermione and Fred whipped back to face battle at the strangled cry. They turned just in time to see a shock of vivid green light racing for where Lily was crouched beside James. Hermione didn't have time to even gasp in horror before Peter threw himself in front of the killing curse and collapsed in a heap in front of Lily. Hermione stared in shock as her brain failed to grasp what had just happened. It was over so quickly.

"NO!" Sirius roared as he launched himself into battle with Voldemort. Voldemort stumbled back a step in surprise at the vicious onslaught. With a battle cry Lily leapt to her feet as well and began battling with more energy and force than she ever had before. Nikki, Alice, and Remus joined and began fighting equally as hard. Voldemort stumbled back again and again from the uniform attack. For the first time a hint of fear entered his eyes.

"This is not the end," he hissed at them before turning with a crack and disapparating on the spot.

"COWARD!" Sirius roared into the empty air where Voldemort had once stood. "GET BACK HERE AND FIGHT COWARD!" he shot off several more curses in the area where Voldemort no longer stood. A blasting curse struck the cabin in the distance and with a loud bang a hole was blasted in the side. Glad to have a target for his grief and anger Sirius sent curse after curse at the desolate building before eventually sending it up in flames.

"Let it burn," he growled as he turned away from the destruction he had caused. "Let this whole damn forest burn."

Hermione was numb. She knelt still frozen beside George and Fred. She couldn't believe it. They were supposed to be saving people. No one else was supposed to die. She knew this was a foolish thought, but she had hoped… She a truly hoped…

"Hermione," Fred's voice broke through her numb disbelief. Hermione turned towards him as though in a daze, shock still etched into her features. Fred reached up and with the pads of his thumbs tried to wipe away the tears that she hadn't known she's been shedding, but they were still falling. Hermione sniffed and used her sleeves to wipe at her face.

"Hermione, we need to get out of here before they come back or before someone gets attracted by that fire," Fred told her, pain etched into his face at their loss. Hermione nodded and sniffed again.

"Right," she agreed in a hoarse voice. She cleared her throat. "Let's get the others then."

Fred nodded and rose to his feet offering her a hand to pull her to her feet as well. They approached their friends who were in various stages of grieving. Lily was on her knees sobbing. Alice was kneeling beside her patting her back, but with a vacant expression. Nikki was staring blankly at Peter's body as though unable to comprehend that he wouldn't be standing up again in a few moments. Sirius was stewing in his anger while Remus tried to convince him to calm down.

"We need to get out of here," Fred announced. Everyone turned to stare blankly at him with the exception of Lily because she was still sobbing and James because he was still unconscious.

"They can still come back. We need to get James and George to a healer," Fred told them. Everyone nodded except Sirius who glared at Fred.

"I'm not leaving him here," he yelled as he gestured to Peter's body.

"I never expected you to," Fred said calmly. "If you grab Peter and Remus gets James, I can take George," he suggested. Sirius deflated slightly and nodded sharply in agreement.

Without another word needing to be spoken Fred turned back to where George lay, bleeding and unconscious in the dirt, hauled him so up that George's back was against his chest and disapparated. Remus did something similar for James and was gone. Sirius had tears in his eyes as he threw Peter's body onto his shoulder in a fireman's hold and disapparated. Hermione watched as Alice helped the sobbing Lily to her feet and side-alonged her away. Hermione and Nikki made eye contact. Teary brown connected to empty icy blue eyes for a few brief moments before Nikki jerked her head slightly and disapparated away. Hermione looked around at the destruction left behind in their wake and with one final sniffle she was gone.

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**AN: AHHHHHH! Poor Peter! Does it sadden your hearts to know that I've planned this moment from the beginning? I feel distinctly evil right now. It makes me want to throw a party for myself. Muahahahaha!**

**REVIEWS PLEASE! I must know if you're as heartbroken as I'd hoped you'd be!**

**P.S. THANK YOU FOR ALL OF THE WONDERFUL REVIEWS! THEY ARE AMAZING!**


	21. Ch 21: The World Keeps Spinning

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**Disclaimer: Harry Potter doesn't belong to me and nor does his universe… Unfortunately.**

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**AN:** Just wanted to take a moment to say **THANK YOU** to all of the wonderful reviewers in my life. Without you all this story would not have made it to where it is today! Another **Thank You** is due to all of the wonderful people who have liked (or possibly loved) my story enough to follow or favorite it. To those of you who have stuck with me since the beginning, **Thank You**. You all mean so much to me as an 'author' and I can't **thank you** enough for the _motivation_ and the _inspiration_ to put my fantasy world out there to entertain others.

On with the story…

_._

_Previously…_

_Sirius had tears in his eyes as he threw Peter's body onto his shoulder in a fireman's hold and disapparated. Hermione watched as Alice helped the sobbing Lily to her feet and side-alonged her away. Hermione and Nikki made eye contact. Teary brown connected to empty icy blue eyes for a few brief moments before Nikki jerked her head slightly and disapparated away. Hermione looked around at the destruction left in their wake and with one final sniffle she was gone._

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**Chapter 21: The World Keeps Spinning**

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With a sharp crack Hermione reappeared in Hogsmead outside of the Hogshead. She felt odd, like her head was lighter than usual and her thoughts took an abnormally long time to process. She looked around as though in a daze. It took her a few moments to realize that everyone of their group was there. Then it took a few moments more to realize that Dumbledore was also there, and still a few more to notice that both Fred and Dumbledore were staring at her as though they had been trying to speak to her and were looking concerned.

"Er… Sorry. What?" she asked as she tried to focus past the slight ringing in her ears.

"I'm taking George to St. Mungos," Fred told her slowly, still looking concerned. "Sirius is coming to bring Peter and Dumbledore says that Holly can handle James here."

Hermione tried to get her brain to concentrate on the conversation. She shook her head slightly as though to get rid of some of the fog. She looked up into Fred's eyes finally and nodded.

"I'm coming too," she announced. Fred looked relieved as her eyes took on their familiar determined glint; albeit, it was not as strong as usual, but it was there.

"Good," he said with a firm nod as he readjusted his grip on his brother's unconscious body. He turned back to Dumbledore.

"We're ready to go, Sir."

Dumbledore looked very reluctant to letting such a large group of students travel to the Wizarding hospital unaccompanied at this time of night, or rather morning, but with one look into Hermione's determined stare he knew it would be a wasted battle trying to stop them.

"Mr. Black," he said as he turned to the young, black haired man with his best friend's body still slung over his shoulder. "I expect you back immediately after you drop off Peter's body. Take the floo straight into my office." Sirius gave a stiff nod as he stared off somewhere over the headmaster's right shoulder. Dumbledore sighed and pulled his nightcap off his head. With a tap of his wand and a mumbled '_Portus'_, the nightcap was now their portkey to St. Mungos.

"Good luck," was the last thing the headmaster said as he handed Fred the portkey. Fred nodded in a slightly distracted way as he made sure George was also touching the portkey. Hermione stepped forward and touched her finger to the fabric. Sirius shuffled over as well and placed both his and Peter's hands on the cap. They stood that way for a few moments and then in a flash of the brightest blue light, they were gone.

.

F~H~F~H~F~H~F~H~F~H~F~H~F~H~F~H~F~H~F~H~F~H~F~H~F~H~F~H~F~H~F~H

.

Hermione sat stoically in her chair in the waiting room while Fred paced a rut in the floor in front of her. She had the fleeting thought that these chairs really were as uncomfortable as George had said. Then she shut down the thoughts of George before the tears came. She had to remain strong and not break down, and if that meant just sitting here and not thinking, not feeling, then so be it.

Fred was pacing. Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth. He had all this pent up nervous energy and it seemed the only way to release it was to pace. Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth. He seemed to be functioning on adrenaline only. When was the last time he had slept? He couldn't remember. All that had mattered before was saving George. George was currently… Well Fred didn't know. Nobody told anyone anything here apparently. George could be… Well, Fred didn't want to go there. Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth.

.

SB~SB~SB~SB~SB~SB~SB~SB~SB~SB~SB~SB~SB~SB~SB~SB~SB~SB~SB~SB~

.

"We're sorry for your loss, Mr. Black."

Sirius attempted to sneer at the empty words, but he was already being whisked away from St. Mungos through the floo network. He was really beginning to hate that phrase. He stumbled out of Dumbledore's fireplace gracelessly as he choked on the ash that had flown into his mouth. He halfheartedly beat at his clothes in an attempt to get the ash off, but quickly gave up as he took in their state for the first time. They were torn in several places and had a large amount of blood on them as well. Sirius briefly wondered whose it was, but then just as quickly decided that he didn't care.

"Mr. Black, it's good to see you safely returned."

Sirius jumped slightly and had to stop himself from drawing his wand on the headmaster. It seemed he was becoming slightly paranoid. Dumbledore was the only occupant of the room and was sitting patiently behind his desk as he gestured for Sirius to take a seat. Sirius hesitated momentarily before deciding it would just be easier to do as the headmaster wished.

"I have already talked to your friends and sent them off to bed for the night," Dumbledore informed him. Sirius nodded slightly to show he heard as he stared at a point over the headmaster's right shoulder. "They were all understandably shaken up, but I think that with time all will be well."

Sirius scowled, but otherwise refrained from responding. The headmaster plowed on regardless.

"It was very reckless of you all to go off like that," Dumbledore began. Sirius's scowl deepened. "It was lucky that you only lost one life tonight."

Sirius was barely aware of himself as he jumped to his feet, knocking his chair to the floor behind him. His fists were clenched at his sides and for the first time he looked Dumbledore directly in the eyes.

"_Lucky_ were we? _Lucky_ that Pete died?" he spat. "And _all will be well_? One of my _best friends_ is dead!" Sirius yelled as loud as his lungs would allow. "And we wouldn't have had to go in the first place it _you_ had bothered to make a plan or done _anything_ to get George out of there!"

"Mr. Black, please-," Dumbledore tried to reason calmly as he sat unflinching at Sirius's tirade.

"NO! I WILL NOT CALM DOWN!" Sirius screamed as took a step forward and backhanded one of Dumbledore's magical instruments from his desk top. It flew across the room until it smashed into the wall and splintered into fragments.

"MY BEST FRIEND IS DEAD!" Sirius choked slightly on the last word, but plowed on regardless. "I SHOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO STOP HIM! HE SHOULDN'T HAVE HAD TO DIE! IT'S NOT FAIR!"

"Mr. Black, I am truly sorry for your loss, but-,"

"SORRY?!" Sirius screeched, looking slightly deranged. "YOU _CAN'T_ BE SORRY! NO ONE IS SORRY, GOD DAMN IT!" Sirius turned on his heel and marched from the room, slamming the door behind him.

.

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.

Fred tentatively turned the knob to the hospital room door. It had been hours since he had last laid eyes on his brother and despite what the medi-witch had told him he was nervous about how bad the injuries had actually been. Fighting and getting thrown to the ground a few times surely hadn't helped anything.

He glanced anxiously back at Hermione behind him and felt a flash of irritation at her blank stare. She hadn't shown as much as a hint of emotion since they had arrived in Hogsmead even. Her lack of reaction was really starting to irk him. The whole time he paced the waiting room she just sat there like a doll, unmoving. It was like she didn't even care. Fred turned back to the door and pushed it open. He took a deep breath and strode into the room.

"About bloody time! I thought I was going to grow a beard sitting here waiting for your lazy arse to show!"

Fred grinned at his brother. He was glad to see him sitting up in bed, sipping some juice through a straw, and cracking jokes.

"Well you know I thought it might do that big head of yours some good to make you wait. You know, show you that the world doesn't revolved around you," Fred quipped back with a smirk and he entered the room fully and sat himself in a chair at George's bedside. George barked out a laugh in return, but was distracted from his response by something that caught his eye by the door.

"Mione!" he exclaimed with a huge smile, seeing his girlfriend standing in the doorway hesitantly. Fred glanced over at her and scowled slightly. She was wide eyed and seemed frozen in place just staring at George with no expression. George's smile drooped until it became a frown and his brow furrowed.

"Mione what's wrong?" he asked tenderly. She didn't answer and this caused Fred's scowl to deepen.

"I'm alright, see?" George tried to reassure her. He held his arms wide for her to inspect for any lasting bodily damage. "They fixed up my ribs already and I can laugh and even do sit ups if I wanted to. What's wrong?" He pried, trying to coax a response out.

Fred's scowl lessoned slightly when he noticed that Hermione's hands were shaking slightly.

"Hermione?" George questioned when she still just stood there. Hermione's bottom lip trembled and then a great sob escaped and she pressed the back of her fisted hand to her lips as though to keep them in. Fred lost his scowl completely as he recognized the signs of the witch about to completely break down.

"Mione c'mere," George said quietly with his arms held open for her, having also put the clues together. Hermione didn't need any more encouragement and threw herself into George's embrace, now sobbing violently. Fred was the sad spectator and sat quietly off to the side as his brother patted Hermione's back in a meager attempt to comfort her.

"Hey now Mione, I'm okay. I got out. It'll all be alright now," George attempted to sooth the distraught witch in his arms. Hermione sobbed harder and George began looking more and more concerned.

"Everything's okay now. I'll be out of the hospital by tomorrow and when we get back to Hogwarts we'll have the Marauders fetch us some food and we'll throw a big party, yeah?" George told her, completely missing Fred's silent warning to stop. Hermione began sobbing harder into George's chest at the mention of the Marauders and George turned to Fred looking utterly bewildered. Fred looked sadly at his brother, knowing that he would have to break the news to his twin now rather than later and ruin his former good mood.

"Peter…" Fred's voice cracked slightly causing him to pause to clear his throat. "Peter… didn't make it," Fred broke the news as gently as possible while still making himself heard over Hermione's noisy tears. George's mouth dropped open as he stared at his twin.

"Wh-What?" he stuttered. Fred nodded sadly.

"It was Voldemort. He was aiming for Lily and James, and Peter, he- he, he jumped and took it for them," Fred explained. George pulled Hermione closer to himself as he took in the news, a look of shock still plastered across his face.

"He saved them," George said in a sort of awed tone of voice. Fred nodded.

"He did. He saved them."

George sat in silence for a few moments as he held Hermione and let the news sink in.

"I think," George started slowly, "He would be happy to have gone out that way, knowing what he did. Like he repented his sins and put everything back to rights." Fred grinned slightly at his brother.

"I agree brother mine," he told him. "You always have been the more philosophical half," he joked lightly, earning himself a bare grin. The grin, however, faded quickly from George's face as he turned back to Hermione. He gently kissed the top of her head before laying his cheek to rest against her wild curls. Hermione mumbled something unintelligible into George's shirt.

"What was that, love?" George asked.

"It's a-all my fault," Hermione cried. George frowned.

"And how do you figure that?" he asked gently.

"It was my p-p-plan! I should have b-been more c-c-careful," she stuttered out in between sobs. "It could h-have b-been anyone. What if it had b-been you? Or F-Fred?"

Fred's eyebrows raised in surprise as his name got brought into the conversation.

"Then w-what would we h-have done? And I-I feel s-s-so guilty because I'm so _relieved_ that it wasn't o-one of you!" Hermione cried out before dissolving into tears once more. George rubbed his hand on her back soothingly while he traded concerned glances with Fred over Hermione's sobbing figure. Fred shrugged his shoulders and pulled a face as though to say 'Don't ask _me_ what to do! She's _your_ girlfriend.' George scowled at him without heat and turned back to Hermione.

"Love, it's normal to feel survivor's guilt, but you shouldn't have to. We know you didn't want anything to happen to Peter and you're certainly not glad that he's gone. It's these types of feelings that make you a better person than Voldemort and the Death Eaters. They wouldn't feel guilty at all for surviving and probably don't even have any loved ones to feel relief for at having survived. I know it hurts right now, but as mum always says, the world keeps spinning and only time will dull the pain. It won't hurt like this forever," George explained calmly.

Hermione's sobs eventually calmed to sniffles which then completely died down to just the occasional involuntary gasp of air; an after effect of her racking sobs. She then sat up and gave George a wobbly smile.

"S-sorry," Hermione told him as she used her hands to wipe the tears from her cheeks, looking embarrassed. "I didn't mean to cry all over you."

George grinned at her as he helped her wipe her tears using the blanket that lay atop his bed.

"Don't apologize," he told her. "I'd rather you cry on me than have you cry alone or on someone else." Hermione smiled and shook her head.

"If you insist."

.

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.

Hermione sat up gasping for air and fumbling for her wand in the darkness. She found it lying beside her and quickly snatched it up, lighting the tip in the process. She breathed a sigh of relief as she took in the familiar hospital room, but her heart continued to race. She slumped back on her pillows, keeping her wand lit as she massaged her temples. The nightmare that she had awakened from was still fresh in her mind; half nightmare and half memories. The screams and faces were familiar. The screams were from the final battle and the faces were of friends; both dead and alive.

She pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes to try and erase the images from her mind, but they did not go. There was Fred's bloodied body after the wall crushed him; Harry lying in the dirt outside of Hogwarts, dead for good this time; Ron, burnt to a crisp from Crabbe's fiend fire; George, bloodied and broken lying dead in the cell she had found him in, Bellatrix standing over his body laughing insanely before advancing upon Hermione with that mad glint in her eye.

Hermione shook her head sharply to try and rid her mind of the images. Her breaths were still coming out in sharp painful gasps as she fought the panic attack. She shakily rose to her feet with her wand clenched tightly in her fist. She shuffled her way over to the window and collapsed on the wide ledge. She cracked the window open and gulped down the fresh air that poured in. She felt herself calming slightly and rested her clammy cheek against the cool glass. She wrapped her arms around her knees that she'd drawn up to her chest and shivered.

A rustling noise from within the room her caught her attention and she snapped her head over in the direction it came from. She hoped the boys hadn't woken up. She'd really rather not have to explain…

She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw it was just Fred rolling over in his bed. Earlier, when the exhaustion of the night before had finally caught up to them, they had decided to stay the night with George and had conjured beds on either side of his; Hermione on the left by the window and Fred on the right by the door. Neither had been willing to leave George after he had been kidnapped and neither had tried to make the other leave. So they both stayed.

Hermione relaxed against the glass again. She didn't have to think and was able to just sit there and enjoy the feel of the spring's cool night breeze playing with the loose tendrils of her hair. Some time later she was roused from the light sleep she had fallen into by a moan. She sat up and blinked sleepily at her surroundings. At some point while she slept her wand had gone out, leaving her in darkness. Her eyes quickly adjusted and she saw George twisting in his sheets.

"Nooo," he moaned. "Fred, nooo. Mione!"

His sudden shout caused Hermione to jump and his twisting quickly turned to thrashing. Hermione jumped from her perch and almost fell when her feet hit the floor. Her legs had fallen asleep. She limped over to George's bedside and began lightly shaking his shoulder.

"George it's just a nightmare. Fred and I are right here. We're safe. It's okay, love," she whispered softly into his ear. George's thrashing dissipated and he cracked his eyes open slightly to peer up at Hermione's face.

"Mione," he mumbled as he reached up to touch her face. Hermione pressed his hand snugly against her face so that it was cupping her cheek.

"I'm right here George," she reassured him quietly. "And Fred is sleeping right beside you; safe and sound."

George visibly relaxed at her words and shut his eyes briefly. Hermione began to lean away from where she had been leaning over him. George's eyes shot back open and his hand on her cheek tensed. Hermione froze.

"Please don't go," George whispered feebly. "Please stay," he begged her. Hermione only hesitated for an instant before she was climbing into bed beside George. George held up the blanket, allowing Hermione to slide in beside him. Hermione snuggled in next to him and they wrapped their arms around each other, holding one another close.

Hermione hadn't realized how cold she had gotten sitting beside the open window until she came in to contact with George's warm body. She shivered at the temperature change and snuggled closer. George's arms tightened around her.

"You're freezing," he commented.

"Sorry," Hermione mumbled and began drawing away. George pulled her back.

"Don't be sorry. I don't mind. Next time you have a nightmare though don't sit up by yourself, okay? You can always come to me," he told her sincerely. Hermione blushed slightly at being caught, but smiled at his offer none the less.

"Okay," she whispered.

The room was silent as the trio drifted slowly back into the realms of sleep.

"Mione?" George asked softly as he rested his chin a top her head.

"Mmm?" Hermione hummed in response.

"I love you."

"I love you too, George," Hermione whispered in return, squeezing him tightly. George smiled and tightened his hold on the witch in his arms as they both drifted off into a dreamless sleep with smiles upon their faces. Fred smirked to himself and rolled over away from the pair. He been woken up by first Hermione and then George, but now that they were taking care of each other he allowed himself to fall back asleep, happy that his brother had found a woman who loved him and who would take care of him however she could.

.

NG~NG~NG~NG~NG~NG~NG~NG~NG~NG~NG~NG~NG~NG~NG~NG~NG~NG~NG

.

Nikki sat on the floor of the Owlery staring blankly at the lightening horizon. The owls above her hooted sleepily, no doubt ready for some sleep after a long night of hunting. Birds flitted from tree to tree in the visible Forbidden Forest, singing and frolicking in the early spring morning. A cool breeze of fresh air fanned Nikki's ebony hair about her shoulders and tickled her nose. Nikki blinked and brushed the offending stands back behind her ear and over her shoulder. She looked around her and seemed to actually take in the sunrise for the first time looking surprised. She sighed.

Hopefully Alice wouldn't tell anyone that she had been out all night. She stood on tired, shaky legs and brushed straw and owl droppings from her robes. She yawned and rubbed her eyes tiredly. Perhaps she could get away with skipping class today. She frowned as she contemplated this and then shook her head. Even if she did skip, what would she do instead? It would only make her friends worry more and possibly give them a chance to actually talk to her. She grimaced at the prospect before exiting the Owlery and starting off to her dorm to change out of yesterday's clothes and freshen up before class.

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F~G~F~G~F~G~F~G~F~G~F~G~F~G~F~G~F~G~F~G~F~G~F~G~F~G~F~G~F~G~F~G~F~G

.

"How long does it take your girlfriend to get food?" Fred grumbled as he paced beside George's bed. George rolled his eyes at his twin's complaint, but otherwise never moved his eyes away from the magazine he had been skimming, _Pranking Periodical_. It had a few funny ideas, but nothing he hadn't either heard of or tried himself before.

"I mean really," Fred continued. "It's been like 30 minutes. I'm going to starve to death if she takes any longer! Honestly, how hard is it to-, Finally!" he exclaimed, interrupting himself, as the door popped open.

"Oh, er, hello," Fred corrected himself causing George to look up from his magazine. Healer Davis stood in the doorway looking amused while Fred rubbed the back of his head looking sheepish for having yelled at him as he entered the room. George barked out a laugh as he took in the situation, causing Fred to turn and glare at him. George ignored him and turned his attention to the Healer.

"Hello Healer Davis. Long time no see," George greeted the man with a grin. Healer Davis smiled at George's greeting and chuckled.

"Hello Mr. Weasley," he greeted Fred and then turned to George, "Mr. Weasley," he greeted with a nod. "I wish I could say that it's good to see you again, but considering the circumstances…" he trailed off with a wry smile. George grinned.

"Yes I suppose the circumstances aren't the best, but you know, stuff happens," George replied with an easy shrug. The Healer looked amused at George's word choice, but shook his head as though deciding not to comment. His eyes landed on the magazine that George had turned over on his lap marking his spot and his eyes lit up in excitement.

"You get any good pranks out of that that you're going to pull today?" he asked. George shrugged and pulled a face.

"Not really. There were a couple that I haven't pulled in a while that I thought would be fun to do again, but I don't think today would be a good day for it," George responded.

Healer Davis grinned and looked pleased, causing George to get slightly confused at that reaction and begin to wonder what the Healer was doing in his room anyway. He had a different Healer for this hospital stay.

"You mean you're not pulling any pranks today?" the Healer asked, looking as though he was trying to look confused, but the excitement still shone through. George frowned at the man.

"No," he said slowly, utterly baffled at the man's behavior. A glance at Fred showed he didn't comprehend the conversation any better.

"Don't you know what day it is?" the Healer asked. Fred and George both shook their heads. "It's April First. April Fools' Day!" he exclaimed. George's eyes widened in surprise and he turned to his twin who looked equally shocked.

"Is it really?" George asked his twin. Fred appeared to be doing math in his head.

"It is," he said in an awed voice as he looked back at George.

"How could we forget?" George asked shaking his head in amusement. Fred laughed at the absurd question. The twins made eye contact and grinned before shouting in complete unison.

"Happy Birthday Gred!"

"Happy Birthday Forge!"

"I knew it!" Davis exclaimed looking very pleased with himself. "You're from the future," he stated plainly. Fred and George's jaws dropped open in shock and the smiles that had previously adorned their lips evaporated.

A loud crash in the doorway drew their attention and Fred and George immediately drew their wands, the revelation having put them on edge. Hermione stood just inside the doorway, wand held high and aimed at Davis's chest as she swung the door closed behind her. A tray lay at her feet with food scattered across the floor, a small cake sporting the words 'Happy Birthday Fred & George' included amongst the mess.

"We'll need to Obliviate him."

.

L~J~S~A~L~J~S~A~L~J~S~A~L~J~S~A~L~J~S~A~L~J~S~A~L~J~S~A~L~J~S~A~L~J~S~A

.

Alice sighed and tapped her finger restlessly against the armrest of her chair. She glanced over at Lily and James on the couch adjacent to her seat. They were cuddled up together in their own little world. James was stroking his hand down the back of Lily's vibrant head of hair and resting his chin on her head while staring off into space. Lily was in his lap with her cheek against his chest. They said nothing. Lily had already exhausted her tears and James held her until they reached the point that they were currently at.

Alice looked away with another sigh and an ache in her chest. She missed Frank. She wanted someone to hold and soothe her while she cried and raged against the unfairness of it all. She wanted Frank to be there to pet her hair and tell her that things were bad now, but they would get better. She missed him.

The door to the Room of Requirement banged open and the three occupants raised their heads. Sirius entered and shook his head sadly at their expectant looks. James slouched back against the couch looking slightly depressed. Lily wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered soothing words in his ear. Alice looked away again.

"Did he at least tell you why he's been avoiding us?" Alice asked Sirius as he collapsed on the sofa beside her armchair. Sirius shook his head appearing bitter and depressed; a look that was rarely seen on the carefree teen.

"I couldn't get anything out of him before he locked himself behind his bed curtains with an Imperturbable Charm. He's in a right state, but I just don't understand why he won't talk to me or James about it. I mean we're his best friends and Peter is… was all of our friend too. I just don't get it," Sirius said with a sad shake of his head. Alice gave him a sympathetic look.

"He'll come around," Alice assured him. Sirius nodded glumly before changing the subject.

"What about Nikki? She still avoiding us too?" he asked. Alice grimaced.

"Yeah. Every time I try to talk to her about what her deal is she either changes the subject and refuses to talk about it or runs away. I tried to find her earlier, but she's not in any of her usual haunts," Alice explained looking dejected. Sirius nodded in understanding.

"D'you want to borrow the map to find her?" he asked. Alice shook her head.

"No," she answered. "If she wants to be alone then I'll leave her be. She'll come back when she's ready. I have a feeling if she's going to talk to anybody it'll be Fred," she admitted. Sirius raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Really?" he asked. Alice shrugged.

"Yeah. She won't admit it, even to herself it seems, but she's got a soft spot where Fred's concerned," Alice explained. Sirius sat back and appeared to be deep in thought.

"I can see it," he announced after a few minutes of thought. "He has one for her too." Alice grinned.

"I know. They're rather obvious once you're paying attention. It's aggravating how they keep insisting to be only friends," she said, shaking her head ruefully. Sirius grinned deviously.

"Care for a little wager?"

.

H~G~F~H~G~F~H~G~F~H~G~F~H~G~F~H~G~F~H~G~F~H~G~F~H~G~F~H~G~F~H~G~F

.

Hermione, Fred, and George all had their wands trained on the now very nervous looking healer. Davis had his empty hands held at shoulder height. With a slight flick of her wand Hermione summoned his wand from his pocket and into her hand. George followed up with conjuring a rope to wind around him, pinning his arms to his sides. Fred conjured a straight backed chair and with a swish of his wand knocked the healer back so he had to sit.

"Wait, wait," Davis finally exclaimed after regaining his thoughts. "I want to help you." George snorted while Fred narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Hermione walked around the incapacitated healer to stand in between Fred and George, George still confined to the bed.

"How would you know that we need help?" Fred demanded. Davis rolled his eyes.

"Well every time you lot are in here it's from some Death Eater encounter isn't it? So you're obviously not on You-Know-Who's side. And since you've already had two encounters with him and his followers in the past few months my guess is that you're here to take him out and if that's the plan then you're going to need all the help you can get," he rushed to explain, still eyeing their wands warily.

"How did you know we were from the future?" Hermione asked. Davis smiled slightly.

"Well it took awhile to put together the pieces," he began slowly.

"Start from the very beginning," George ordered. The healer looked slightly annoyed at the third degree he was receiving, but began his story anyway.

"Well the first time I met you guys was after the attack in Hogsmead on Christmas," he started. Hermione, Fred, and George nodded in agreement. "My first hint that something wasn't as it appeared was when you," he nodded his head at Hermione, "called George, Weasley, but when you found out that I heard you tried to tell me you said Westley. I knew for certain what I had heard, but for the life of me I couldn't figure out why you'd lie. Then you cleaned George up and I could tell for certain that he was indeed a Weasley. There is just no mistaking that red hair and those freckles. So the deception just confused me more. I thought about going to some of the management about it and maybe forcing the truth out of you with Veritaserum," he said calmly.

Looks of horror crossed the faces of the time travelers as they thought about how utterly disastrous that could have been to have all of their secrets exposed. Nevermind the time traveling, Fred had come back from the _dead_. They would have taken him away and experimented on him until they figured out how it was possible.

"But then I decided that you couldn't possibly be Death Eaters, first because neither of you had the marks and second because you got hurt fighting Death Eaters. I had to go into your room that first night to do a small checkup spell on Hermione and since you were both already asleep I did the spell and then checked your forearms while I was at it. Since neither of you had the mark I decided to trust your judgment and not flush out the answers, possibly causing more problems than actually helping. I did a little of my own research, but didn't turn up anything. There were no records of Fred or George Westley, but there wasn't anything for Fred or George Weasley either. I looked up Hermione Granger as well and again, nothing. It could easily be argued that you were all three muggleborns and that'd be why there were no hospital records of any of you, but I just had a feeling that wasn't it. So I did my best to put the mystery out of my mind for the next few months as I really didn't have much to go on anyway.

"Then you guys came back and there were so many rumors. Something about someone got kidnapped and you and some other students went on a rescue mission and one of the students actually died. I was incredibly curious, so even though I wasn't assigned to be your healer I decided I would make time to come visit and maybe find out what you'd been up to this time. Unfortunately though, or maybe fortunately, I was covering for a friend in the maternity department. One of the patients went into labor, so I was stuck there until the kid was born. It was the strangest coincidence that I happened to be the one there. I never would have found out otherwise. The patient was Molly Weasley, pregnant with twins," he told them. Hermione's eyes widened in realization while Fred and George exchanged shocked glances.

"I didn't even connect the dots when I learned who my patient was and her condition. It wasn't until after they were born and she named them that realization dumped on me like a load of bricks. She named them Fred Gideon Weasley and George Fabian Weasley and she hoped that they wouldn't become as big of pranksters as their uncles that she named them after. It was after that that I just had to get up here and confirm my new theory. I knew a Fred and George and I knew damn well that they were Weasleys and they were certainly not newborn babies." He concluded his tale and Hermione, George, and Fred stayed quiet as they digested the news of how their cover got blown wide open in just a few months.

"I really do want to help you," Healer Davis continued after a few moments of silence. "You-Know-Who, he… I have reason to believe he's responsible for the death of my little sister," he said quietly to the floor. "I- I need to stop him. I need to do _something_," he pleaded, looking up from the floor and into their faces.

"But how can we trust you?" Hermione asked hesitantly.

"Because I'm on your side," the healer said desperately. Hermione began shaking her head. It just wasn't enough. Fred wore a similar look of reluctance upon his face. George on the other hand was scrutinizing the healer very carefully.

"If we let you help us," George began carefully, staring down the healer, "and you stab us in the back in anyway, we will have to kill you," George told him seriously. Hermione gasped and she and Fred both turned to look at George in bewilderment.

"I understand," Davis agreed immediately.

"But George how could you possibly trust him?" Fred asked incredulously. George turned to his brother and girlfriend.

"I don't fully trust him," he admitted. "I don't think we should give him the whole story, but I think we should let him help. I've got the feeling he's a good guy." Hermione and Fred were already shaking their heads.

"But we don't have anything to base this feeling of yours on," Hermione rationalized. "It would be a huge mistake to just blindly trust a stranger."

"But we do have something to base it on, Mione. He could have forced truth serum down our throats and had us spill the whole story. It would have ruined everything. But he didn't. He trusted that people he didn't know we essentially good and I think we should return the favor and help him avenge his sister."

"But George," Fred began loudly.

"What if it was Ginny, Fred?" George asked quietly. "What if Voldemort had gotten to Ginny? What would you do?" Fred looked down at his shoes for a moment and when he picked his head up there was a hard expression on his face.

"I'd be out for blood," he admitted. "I'd do anything I could." George nodded in agreement.

"I say we let him help us," George told them. Fred hesitated and then nodded his agreement. Hermione looked torn and nibbled her lip. Then she sighed in defeat.

"Alright, fine. But just know that it is because I trust _your_ judgment George, not him," she acquitted. George grinned at her before waving his wand and releasing the ropes that bound the healer.

"Alright," Davis said, beginning to smile in excitement. "What do you want me to do?"

.

HGWRTS~HGWRTS~HGWRTS~HGWRTS~HGWRTS~HGWRTS~HGWRTS~HGWRTS

.

"George! You're back!"

Sirius's shout alerted the rest of the room to Fred, George, and Hermione's entrance into the Room of Requirement. Everyone jumped to their feet and rushed to greet George just inside the door.

"George, I'm so glad you're okay!"

"We're so sorry we didn't come visit. Dumbledore wouldn't let us leave, you see."

"Hey there mate! Good to see you conscious again."

"George m'boy! Long time no see!"

George laughed and smiled as everyone greeted him. The girls had rushed up and hugged him first, followed by slaps on the back and arm punches from the males.

"Hey now! What am I? Chopped liver?" Fred demanded playfully, having been completely ignored.

"FRED!" Sirius and James roared in unison as they swarmed the other twin.

"Didn't see you there mate!"

"How you been? Everything good and well in Weasley World?"

"Now that's more like it," Fred said with a pleased smile. The boys all laughed while the girls rolled their eyes and headed back to the furniture ring in the middle of the room.

"So how is everything, Hermione? Are you guys all okay after… after what happened?" Lily asked carefully. Hermione nodded seriously.

"Yeah. We're all physically healed. Emotionally… well it'll take some time, but we'll be alright. There's been a lot of guilt and a fair amount of nightmares," Hermione confessed. Lily nodded sympathetically and patted Hermione's shoulder as they settled into the large couch with Alice.

"Yeah I know what you mean. It's pretty rough here on that front as well," Lily admitted. Hermione frowned.

"Is that why Nikki and Remus aren't here?" she asked quietly. Lily nodded sadly and opened her mouth to speak.

"Hey, where's Nikki?" Fred suddenly demanded.

"And Remus?" George added. "They too good to make it to my welcome home party?" he joked playfully. The room fell silent as everyone save Hermione, Fred, and George grimaced. James's face fell dejectedly and he sank down on the couch beside Lily, who promptly pulled him close and rubbed his back comfortingly. Sirius looked after his best friend worriedly before turning to address the twins' questions.

"They've been avoiding us," he stated plainly with a sour expression. "Won't hang out with us, won't talk to us, and when they're forced to be around us, like in class, they either completely ignore us or change the subject whenever we ask what their deal is." Hermione, Fred, and George frowned.

"Maybe they have a secret affair together," George suggested, waggling his eyebrows and glancing discretely at Fred. Fred grew a sour look upon his face and seemed to for the first time miss that his twin was joking.

"No, that can't be it," he stated plainly. "It must be grief or guilt or something." George rolled his eyes.

"Of course that's what it is," George agreed. "I was joking Fred."

"Oh," Fred said and then glared at his smirking brother.

"Well I think they've sulked enough," George declared. "We should go talk to them. They'll feel better with their friends." Hermione nodded her agreement.

"Yeah, but maybe not all of us. I think just James and Sirius should go talk to Remus. We don't want to overwhelm him or seem like we're forcing him to talk," Hermione declared. James looked skeptical.

"But what do we say? We've tried talking to him before and he just brushed us off. I don't know how to get through to him," he admitted, looking ashamed. Hermione smiled gently at him.

"You don't have to say anything. Just listen. He needs to know his friends are there for him no matter what," Hermione told him. James still looked a little skeptical, but nodded anyway. Sirius looked downright excited, rubbing his hands together and everything.

"Let's go get the map and track him down. It's about time we got our friend back," he spouted animatedly as he grabbed James's arm and dragged him out the door. Hermione smiled fondly at the boys.

"I'll go talk to Nikki," Fred decided. "I'm assuming you've both already tried?" Fred asked of Alice and Lily. They both nodded solemnly.

"Good luck finding her though," Alice warned him. "You'd better go after Sirius and James for the map."

"It's alright," Fred waved his hand in dismissal. "I know where she is." Alice and Lily both looked surprised.

"Are you sure? We've already checked the library, the kitchens, the Quidditch Pitch, and the Astronomy tower. We don't know where else she could be," Lily told him. Fred smiled slightly.

"Yeah I'm sure. I know where she is," he repeated as he clapped George on the back in farewell and then made his way to the door. Lily and Alice exchanged surprised but amused looks and then shook their heads. The door shut behind Fred.

"They better get together soon," Alice stated looking slightly exasperated. "That boy understands Nikki better than anyone and she'll never admit it, but she needs him."

"Agreed," George, Hermione, and Lily chorused.

**.**

**.**

**AN: Hello! Hope you all remember who I am… :-/ Sorry I went AWOL for so long. Real life is such a pain… So I have good news and bad news. Bad news is I'm thinking there's only going to be one more chapter. D-: Good news though is that there will be a sequel! :-D They do still have to take out dear old Voldy after all. This story got a little out of hand length-wise so I decided that a sequel is the way to go rather than trying to shorten up my plans. **** So hopefully the last chapter will come shortly and then I'll get the next story up and started.**

**Don't forget to review! Reviews are motivation for me to write just fyi. ;-)**


	22. Ch 22: Saying Goodbye

**Disclaimer: Not really mine. **** I just like to play pretend. ;-)**

_Previously…_

"_Yeah I'm sure. I know where she is," he repeated as he clapped George on the back in farewell and then made his way to the door. Lily and Alice exchanged surprised but amused looks and then shook their heads. The door shut behind Fred._

_ "They better get together soon," Alice stated looking slightly exasperated. "That boy understands Nikki better than anyone and she'll never admit it, but she needs him."_

_ "Agreed," George, Hermione, and Lily chorused._

_._

**Chapter 22: Saying Goodbye**

**.**

**"**Nikki? Nik? You in there?" Fred called out cautiously as he eased open the door to the Owlery. He had no idea what kind of mood she'd be in to see him and in this case it was better to be safe than sorry. He peeked his head around the door just enough for his eyes to peer into the circular room. Nikki was standing with her back to him on the opposite side of the room. Her arms were crossed defensively against her chest as she stared out of the hollow window onto the grounds.

Fred, deeming it safe, fully entered the room and quietly shut the door behind him. Nikki didn't turn or show any kind of reaction indicating that she knew of his presence. Fred walked across the room until he reached her side. He gazed out at the grounds she had been observing emotionlessly.

They had a nice view of the lake from this vantage point and there were several students out enjoying themselves in the early spring heat wave. They were too far away to hear, but Fred was sure that if he had been able to, he'd hear laughter and loud boisterous voices carrying across the grounds. Standing up at this height and distance he felt very removed and alone. It was as though the world before him was left innocent and untouched by the war while here he was tainted and grieving his losses.

A slight sniff to his right broke off his thoughts. He looked over at Nikki and his heart constricted. Her jaw was clenched and she looked angry, but in a self-directed way. Her cheeks were wet and her eyes looked exhausted and bloodshot. He wondered when the last time she had slept was.

"Oh Nik-," he said softly as he reached for her. She jerked away and flinched. Fred dropped his hand back to his side looking hurt.

"D-Don't," she said in a scratchy, almost scared sounding voice. "Just don't."

"Don't what?" Fred asked, looking confused. "I don't understand."

"Don't touch me. Don't try to understand me. Don't- Don't try to use those empty words on me," she warned as she backed away slightly. If Fred was confused before it was nothing to how he felt now.

"Nikki-,"

"STOP! Just stop Fred," she demanded looking scared and angry. "I knew they'd send you eventually."

Fred shook his head uncomprehendingly.

"Knew who would send me?" He asked. "And stop what? I don't get what-,"

"THIS! Just stop trying to make me feel better! I don't deserve it! Just go! Please. Just go," she started off yelling, but ended in a broken whisper. Fred shook his head.

"I'm not leaving. I came because I wanted to and I don't know what makes you think that you do deserve to feel like… like whatever you're feeling, but you don't," he insisted. Nikki laughed harshly.

"You don't know anything about me Fred Weasley," she told him. "I deserve everything I get." Fred scowled at her.

"You think? I know you're allergic to strawberries. I know your favorite color is sea foam green. You _hate_ the color red. I know your favorite book is a muggle book called Pride and Prejudice, but for some reason you don't want anyone else to know that. I know-," Fred began hotly, but was interrupted again by one of Nikki's humorless laughs.

"None of that matters," she told him. "Those stupid little things. They don't matter. You don't really know me. No one does anymore," she said bitterly as she looked at the floor.

"Of course they matter," Fred argued back. "But if that's not what you want to hear then fine. You have trust issues because of your mother-,"

"Oh well spotted," Nikki bit out sarcastically.

"And your brother," Fred finished. Nikki swelled with anger.

"My brother has done nothing wrong to me," Nikki hissed, striding forward to give Fred a good hard poke in the chest.

"I didn't say that he did," Fred replied in a calm, yet cool tone. "But he still left you, not purposely, but he still left and because of that you have trust issues." Nikki glared and said nothing. Neither seemed to realize how close together they were standing.

"You're afraid to get close to anyone you might get attached to incase they leave you too. You keep your hair cut short to distinguish yourself from your mother. You feel the less you look like her the better. You have scars on your wrist from where you started cutting yourself, I'm guessing shortly after your brother died, but you haven't done that in a while"

Nikki gasped and covered her left wrist with her hand, but Fred ignored this reaction and plowed on.

"You've never had a serious relationship in your life and you only consider the boys with bad reputations to date because you know that you won't fall for them. You consider them safe. You're independent because you were forced to grow up too soon and virtually alone. You ran away from home at fourteen years old and have been living with Alice and her family ever since. You come to the Owlery when you're really upset because the feeling of being cut off from the outside world comforts you and makes you feel safe."

Nikki shook her head silently and took a step back. Tears were dripping down her face and she had her arms wrapped protectively around her waist.

"How do you know all of this?" she asked quietly.

Fred took a step forward and brushed her hair behind her ear before looking back into her eyes.

"Because I pay attention," he said simply in the same quiet tone she had used. Nikki shook her head and laughed dryly.

"Lily and Alice have been my friends for years and they never… The cutting… They never knew. Or the hair. They just thought I was OCD," she said, shaking her head lightly again.

"They didn't know what to look for," he told her. He moved his hand from where it had stilled in her hair and began gingerly wiping the tears from her cheeks with the heel of his hand. Nikki stepped back abruptly and shook her head again.

"Why are you doing this?" she demanded.

"Because I'm your friend," he answered. She shook her head again and laughed, looking up at the ceiling for a moment as though it held the answers she sought.

"No," she said causing Fred to frown. "We've known each other only for a few months and you already know me better than my friends of seven years. That's not natural," she said in an accusing tone of voice.

"I just understand where you're coming from and where you're at better than they do. That's all," Fred explained. "Besides, it's not time that judges friendship. It's about being there for each other and caring about each other."

"Do you care about me Fred?" Nikki asked, somewhat desperately. Fred softened his frown as their eyes connected.

"Of course I do," he answered. Nikki directed a wobbly smile at him.

"You shouldn't. People I care about just end up dead," she said bitterly. Fred blanched.

"What?" he yelped. "You and… You and Peter? Did you…" He was saved from having to finish that question by Nikki's first real laugh of the day.

"No," she said, still chuckling to herself. "Merlin, no." She suddenly sobered.

"I was referring to my brother. It's my fault that… It's my fault," was all she managed to get out before breaking down into renewed tears. She choked back a sob and pressed her fisted hand against her lips. Fred stepped forward in concern and stretched out his hand only to have Nikki stumble away and turn her back to him as she struggled to regain her composure. Fred's face twisted in pain as he stood, unsure of what to do. Another sob escaped her lips and her body started to shake before he decided what to do.

He strode up to her and around to her front. She tried to jerk away at first, but he caught her wrist and pulled her gently back. He wrapped his arms tightly around her. She fought for a moment before giving in and completely breaking down in his arms. She allowed the tears for her brother to flow freely as sobs wracked her body. She grieved for the loved one that she lost along with her innocence. Fred held her with his arms tightly around the backs of her shoulders while hers clung around his waist. She buried her face in the front of his t-shirt and wept.

"Why are you doing this?" she cried out at one point.

"For the same reason you dumped me out of my bed a few days ago. Because I care," he replied.

Eventually the tears subsided and she pulled away looking embarrassed. Fred reached up to wipe her tears, but she took another step back and wiped them herself.

"You didn't have to do that," she told him, not looking at his face.

"Do what?" Fred asked, honestly confused. Nikki waved her hand vaguely gesturing to him.

"All of that," she said.

"And what was I supposed to do?" Fred asked her quizzically. Nikki shrugged and looked away. Fred rolled his eyes and moved forward and wrapped her in a hug before she could protest. She stiffened at first and then started to pull back slightly. Fred sighed and gave her a squeeze.

"Stop fighting and just go with it," he told her firmly. "I'm not going to give up on you." She sighed petulantly and stopped fighting him. Fred waited for her body to relax against his, then for her head to rest against his chest, and then finally she wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him back. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and relaxed into their hug.

"You don't always have to be strong," Fred told her quietly. "It's okay to let people who care about you, help you."

"I know," Nikki whispered. "It's just hard." Fred gave her a squeeze.

"It'll get easier," he reassured her. "Just let us help you." Nikki nodded against him and he smiled before letting her out of the hug. Nikki stepped back and smiled at him faintly.

"Do you want to go?" he asked her. She grimaced at the thought and shook her head.

"Do you want me to go?" he asked quietly. She hesitated momentarily, but then shook her head again.

"Please stay?" she asked softly while looking up at him through her damp eyelashes.

"Of course," Fred told her with an easy grin. She smiled shyly in return before choosing a stretch of wall and sliding down it until she was seated at its base letting out a long sigh as she settle on the floor. Fred followed suit and put his arm around her shoulders, allowing her to rest her head on his shoulder.

"Thanks," she mumbled.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're a very huggy person?" she asked after a small stretch of silence. Fred laughed.

"It runs in the family," he told her in amusement. "You should meet my mum." Nikki smiled.

"I'm sure she's a wonderful lady," Nikki said as she closed her eyes.

"She is," Fred said with a hint of sadness. Nikki opened her eyes and turned her head so that she could see Fred's face.

"You miss her," Nikki stated. Fred nodded.

"I miss all of them. Even Percy," he said with a chuckle. Nikki smiled slightly and wrapped her arm around his waist, giving it a squeeze.

"It'll be alright," Nikki said softly. "We'll fix everything this time around." Fred nodded before resting his head atop hers and sighing.

"I sometimes worry though about how my family that I left behind is holding up. I mean we've got the Weasleys here and they're all fine and I can look after them, but the other Weasleys, _my_ family..." Fred paused for a moment and sighed again.

"I sometimes worry how they're holding up. I mean they had already lost me. Then George and Hermione disappeared and we have no way to contact them to let them know that we're all okay. They must think that George… Well that he couldn't take it anymore. Or maybe they think the Death Eaters got him. As for Hermione, they could assume that she got caught up in the attack and was either taken or killed or maybe they'll think that she just up and left. That she went to live the rest of her life as a muggle or something.

"No matter what they choose to believe they'll be heartbroken. It'll tear them up that they've lost two more from our family. I just… I just wish there was a way to let them know that everything's alright. Better than alright actually. I mean, I've never seen George as happy as he is with Hermione. And me… Well I'm alive and I've got George and that's all I need. We're going to start up our joke shop again after we take out Voldemort and everything's going to be great. I just really don't want them to worry. I want them to be as happy as I am, you know?" Fred asked as he sighed again.

"MmHmm," Nikki hummed in agreement. Fred sighed and closed his eyes as he unconsciously rubbed his cheek against Nikki's hair.

"Harry'd better take good care of Ginny," Fred continued quietly after a few moments of silence. "Without me or George there looking out for her it's up to Ron and anyone will tell you that he can be a bit slow on the uptake at times. I love him, but he can be so dense. Especially about girly things like emotions and whatnot. I suppose Percy'll try to step up and look after her, but that'll drive her nuts. He's a bit of a stickler for rules and propriety whereas she's this free spirit. She'll do what she wants when she wants and you'd better not be in her way or you're in for it. She's very independent. Sorta like you."

Fred trailed off. He knew he was rambling, but it felt good to get all of his worries about his family off his chest. He and George had talked about it a bit, but there was nothing that they could really _do_ and Fred hated not being able to do anything about it. There was also just something about the girl in his arms that made him feel like he could talk to her about anything. Fred yawned. It had been a long day.

"Hey Nik?" he said, hoping maybe she'd be okay on her own and he could go catch a nap. She didn't respond.

"Nikki?" Fred asked, nudging her slightly. She stirred slightly, nuzzling her nose against his t-shirt and then sighing in contentment, but making no other response. Fred grinned in amusement and peered down at her face. Sure enough, she was dead asleep. Fred chuckled deep in his chest and then smiled in wonderment as a small smile stole across her face in her sleep.

She looked like she didn't have a care in the world. She looked completely at peace for the first time that Fred had seen. He grinned and kissed her lightly on her forehead before scooping her up in his arms. He exited the Owlery and set off down the corridor taking long purposeful strides, but making sure to be careful not to wake the sleeping girl in his arms. She had looked like she hadn't truly slept for at least a couple days so he wasn't sure anything short of a Death Eater attack on the castle could wake her, but he wasn't taking any chances. She needed sleep and if this was how she was going to get it then so be it.

Fred sent out a silent prayer of thanks that it appeared to be dinner time so the halls were clear. Nikki would kill him if people saw him carrying her and started rumors. People at Hogwarts could turn any kind of nothing into a whole lot of something and Nikki did her best to stay under the gossip radar. Fred finally reached Gryffindor tower, luckily without anyone seeing him. He said the password to the Fat Lady and she raised an eyebrow, but said nothing and admitted him to the common room.

Fred breathed out a sigh of relief when he saw the deserted room before marching right through it and up the staircase to the boys' dormitories. He felt it was a bit scandalous to be bringing her to his room, but then again Fred loved a good scandal and how was he supposed to get her to her room anyway? He managed to get the door handle to their dorm turned with the hand supporting Nikki's legs and then nudged the door open fully with his foot. He stepped into the thankfully empty dorm and then kicked the door shut behind him.

He kicked it a bit more forcefully than necessary and it slammed behind him. He winced and looked down at Nikki, expecting her to wake up. She didn't even stir. She must have been more exhausted than Fred had originally thought. He gently lowered her onto his bed and pulled her shoes off her feet, but otherwise left her as she was. He covered her with his blanket and stood there for a few moments at a loss of what he should do next. He really wanted a nap. Just looking at Nikki sleeping was making him more tired by the second.

It was incredibly tempting to just slide into bed with her and hold her close. More tempting than it should have been. But how would she react to waking up suddenly with him in his bed with no recollection of how she got there? That was enough to make any girl panic, not to mention one who had been raped in her past. Fred sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

So that left the option of the floor or George's bed. It didn't take much thought to decide. George's bed it was. Fred tugged the curtain's shut around his bed, shielding Nikki from view before collapsing into his brother's bed. He kicked off his shoes and pulled the curtain's shut around him, blocking out the light of the fast fading sun. He rubbed his cheek into the fluffy pillow that smelt of George and thought about how comfortable it had been just sitting with Nikki in the Owlery while he drifted off to sleep.

Nikki awoke a short time later to a rustling noise. She blinked sleep out of her eyes as she tried to remember where she was. It was dark and it smelt weird. This was not her bed. She also didn't remember how she got here. She sniffed again, trying to identify the smell. Her eyes widened as she realized it was stale boy smell. She felt her heart begin to pump faster as she tried to remember how she got here. The last thing she remembered was the Owlery and… Fred.

She blinked again and realized that the reason it was so dark was that the curtains around the bed were drawn. She ripped them open and discovered that she was in the 7th year boys' dorm. Her brow crinkled in confusion. How did she get here? A moan brought her back to the reason she had been woken up to begin with. She scanned the room that was barely lit by the quickly disappearing sunset and noticed that all of the beds' curtains were open and the beds empty save one; the one beside hers. She could hear rustling from behind the curtains and hesitated, debating whether or not she really wanted to know what was behind them.

"George!" The shout nearly made her jump out of her skin and she swung her gaze wildly around the room before realizing the shout must have come from the bed behind the curtain. She jumped to her feet and wrenched open the curtain. There was Fred pale and sweating with his legs tangled hopelessly in his sheets.

"Stop!" he yelled again. "Not George!" This last shout propelled Nikki forward. She grabbed Fred by the shoulders and gave him one good solid shake.

"Fred," she said sternly as she shook him. Fred's eyes popped open immediately and he sucked in a breath. He blinked and took in Nikki's face. He threw his head back into his pillow and pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes, but not before Nikki saw the raw terror shadowed in them. She tentatively reached her hand out towards him. She hesitated at the last second, but then ran her fingers soothingly through his hair anyway.

Fred tensed for a moment and then seemed to relax under her touch. She continued to stroke his hair, unsure of what else to do, but it seemed to be working so she kept at it. After a few minutes she started humming a few bars of a song that she knew well. Fred was fully relaxed now and moved his hands from his face. Nikki immediately stopped humming and took her hand away from his hair. Fred caught her hand and pulled it back.

"No don't stop," he said gently. "I liked it." Nikki smiled in a slightly embarrassed way, but went back to softly running her fingers through his hair.

"Well your hair _is_ pretty soft," she teased quietly. Fred chuckled and closed his eyes.

"I liked that song too," he told her without opening his eyes. Nikki's hand paused for a fraction of a second before continuing the soothing motion.

"My brother used to sing it to me when I was little. When things got bad," she whispered sadly. Fred stiffened and opened his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said, looking into her eyes. She smiled sadly in return.

"Don't be. It's one of the good memories," she told him. He nodded, but didn't say anything else.

"I miss him," she whispered, not quite looking at Fred and with a faraway look in her eyes. Fred studied her for a few moments before shifting over so he was no longer in the middle of the bed and adjusted the blanket. He looked back up at Nikki and patted the spot beside him.

"There's an open spot and if you want it it's all yours," he said quietly. He expected her to at least hesitate and question his motives so he was greatly surprised when she immediately took him up on his offer and slid into the bed beside him, curling up to his side. He slipped his arm under her head and hugged her close. He didn't know what to say at first so he stayed silent.

"I bet he was a great guy," he finally said after a while. Nikki nodded against him.

"He was," she agreed tenderly. "He was the one who took care of me. He tried to protect me and make sure that I didn't have to grow up as fast as he did. He was always going on about how he wanted me to have a childhood to look back on fondly. I didn't know what he meant at the time, but I do now..."

"I still remember the day I came home from Hogwarts at the end of my second year and my mother told me he was gone," she paused to sniff. "She said that he had been foolish to deny Voldemort and that he deserved what he got. That she was glad that she didn't have him around to soil her name anymore," Nikki spat the words hatefully and tears leaked out of her eyes once more.

"I hate her so much," she gasped out.

Fred turned onto his side and pulled her closer as she cried into his t-shirt for the second time that day. He squeezed her tight and rubbed his hand up and down her back.

"She'll get what's coming to her," he told her vehemently. "They all will." He held her for a time longer until she had calmed down slightly. Then he began to hum softly, as well as he could remember, the song she had hummed to him, the song her brother used to sing to her. She stiffened at first and then relaxed and let him carry on for a bit. Soon though, she was shaking again. Fred stopped, thinking he and his humming had been the cause. He was right.

"No, no don't stop!" Nikki cried out through her giggles. "It was nice. It's just… George was right. You couldn't carry a tune in a bucket," she told him before collapsing into giggles again. Fred scowled at her playfully.  
"You know I wouldn't have invited you to bed with me if I knew you were going to be hurting my feelings," he complained with a pout. Nikki's cheeks tinted pink at his phrasing as she grinned.

"Well I wouldn't have accepted had I known you'd be trying to serenade me with a dying cat," she teased as she tweaked his nose. Fred propped himself up on the arm underneath Nikki and loomed over her with his nose scant inches from hers. Nikki's heart thudded in her chest and her eyes widened slightly.

"You'd best watch what you're saying, miss," Fred warned her with narrowed eyes. "I might just have to find a way to change your way of thinking."

Nikki was frozen for a moment. What could he possibly mean by that? She mentally shook herself and realized that he was looking at her with an odd expression and was still only a few inches away from her face. She raised her eyebrows at him and he grinned and pulled the curtains around them shut before leaning back out of her personal space.

"What say you we get back to that nap, yeah?" Fred asked after he yawned tiredly. She nodded and snuggled back up against him. He paused in surprise for half an instant before wrapping his arms around her again and settling into the soft bed. He was just on the brink of sleep when her voice brought him back.

"Fred?" she asked quietly.

"Hmm?"

"How long have you been having nightmares?" she asked. Fred frowned.

"Since they took George," he mumbled sleepily. "Thought they'd go away after we got him back, but I guess not." She was quiet for a minute and Fred felt himself drifting back off.

"I hope they go away soon," she told him. He shrugged halfheartedly.

"S'okay. Everyone's got 'em," he slurred. She frowned.

"Everyone?" she questioned. He shrugged again.

"George and Mione do," he answered. "But they got each other so s'okay," he said with a sleepy smile, his eyes shut. Nikki frowned.

"Well who do you have?" she asked. Fred didn't answer for a moment as he nuzzled his nose into her hair.

"Don't matter. I'll be alright," he muttered, his lips brushing her ear. Nikki's skin tingled and she wondered why that was.

"You've got me, Fred," she whispered. Fred smiled into her hair.

"Okay," he murmured gently. "You've got me too. Don't forget," he told her.

Nikki pulled back slightly out of his embrace to see his face. Fred frowned and cracked his eyes open blearily.

"What?" he asked. She didn't answer at first and simply scrutinized him for a few moments.

"I don't know what it is about you Fred Weasley, but you're turning my whole life up on its head," she told him. Fred chuckled quietly and allowed his eyes to shut again.

"It's what I'm best at," he replied with a cocky smile tugging his lips. Nikki smiled back and pressed a kiss to his forehead before snuggling back in his arms. Fred's eyes popped open in surprise. Then a slow smile curled his lips and he closed his eyes again.

"G'night Fred," Nikki murmured.

"Night Nik," Fred whispered into her hair as he pulled her close.

*~!*~!*~!*~!*~!*~!*~!*~!*~!*~!*~!*~!*~!*~!*~!*~!*~!*~!*~!*~!*~!~*

"D'you think he found her okay?" George asked for the third time as he paced the Room of Requirement.

"Yes George," Remus repeated slowly. "We told you. We saw them together on the map in the Owlery. I'm sure he's fine. They're just talking," he reassured him. George frowned and continued to pace.

"But you guys finished talking hours ago and you're back. So what's the hold up?" he asked.

"They're guys," Lily said rolling her eyes. "Their talks mostly include Quidditch references and dirty jokes."

James, Sirius, and Remus turned to glare at her. She shrugged and made her eyes wide and innocent.

"Well it's true," she insisted. The remaining Marauders traded glances before shrugging and murmuring their agreement. Lily and Alice smirked at each other.

"But honestly, what all could they possibly still be talking about?" George plowed on. "I mean, I know Fred. The only things he could possibly find to talk about for this amount of time is pranks or our inventions and I somehow doubt that she'd be able to listen to him prattle on for this long. Something must have happened," George babbled nervously.

"I need to check the map," George said, coming to a standstill in front of Hermione. "Just to check on where he is," he pleaded with puppy dog eyes. Hermione smiled at the attempt, but shook her head.

"Sorry dear, but they need their privacy," she said before going back to the book she had been reading. George scowled at her.

"It's just a peak," he said. "It's not like I can see them or hear-,"

"Yes, but I know you George," Hermione said without looking up from the printed pages in front of her. "You'll go rushing off to check on him and they need their privacy to work things out. They'll come back when they're ready," she told him.

George scowled at her and huffed before plopping down on the couch beside her. She smiled faintly, but still didn't look up from her book. Eventually the boys started a round of Exploding Snap while Lily and Alice talked quietly on a love seat and Hermione continued her book. An hour or so later Hermione lovingly closed her finished novel and yawned tiredly.

"I'm going to bed," she announced to the room in general as she rose to her feet and stretched. George looked up from the game and upraised her body with a smirk. Hermione flushed as she noticed where his gaze had wandered and lowered her arms just as George's cards exploded in his face. He coughed on the ash and felt to make sure his eyebrows were both still intact while everyone laughed at his expense.

"Serves you right," Hermione said as she chuckled. George stuck his tongue out at her and vanished to soot from his face.

"Fred's not back yet. How can you go to bed already?" he asked. Hermione raised her eyebrows at him.

"Fred's a big boy, he can make it to bed on his own," she told him. "Besides, maybe he got tired after talking with Nikki and decided to call it a night? He could have been in bed this whole time," she said as she gathered her belongings. George frowned as he thought that over.

"Yeah, okay. I'll come with you," he said as he rose stiffly to his feet and stretched. This time it was Hermione who was distracted by his fit body. George smirked and began flexing his biceps.

"Like what you see?" he asked as he wiggled his eyebrows and struck an exaggerated pose. Hermione giggled and batted her eyelashes.

"Maybe," she responded coyly. George grinned and swooped in to claim her lips in a kiss.

"The lady and I are headed off to bed," he announced to the room. "Separate beds of course," he added after a stern look from Hermione. Hermione rolled her eyes and smiled fondly.

Everyone clambered to their feet. Apparently they were all ready to call it a night also. It was just as well too, seeing as Peter's funeral was the next morning. They left as a group and parted ways to go to their separate dormitories when they reached the common room. The boys were oddly quiet as they trooped up the stairs, no doubt thinking about what the next day would bring.

George entered the room and frowned when he saw Fred's empty bed. He really was worried. He knew that Fred could take care of himself and that it was doubtful that anything would happen to him at Hogwarts, but life had made him paranoid. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He might as well change into some more comfortable clothes and try to get to sleep. If Fred still wasn't back by morning then he'd demand the map and go seek him out.

Nodding in satisfaction with his plan he pulled his shirt off over his head and dropped it on the floor beside his bed. Odd. The curtains around his bed were shut. He usually left them open. He shrugged to himself. It wasn't really a big deal. He popped the button on his pants and kicked them off to join his shirt in a heap on the floor. He yawned tiredly and ruffled his hair. It had been a long day; hopefully he'd be able to get a good night's sleep without any nightmares.

With this thought in mind he pulled back the curtains surrounding his bed and let out a startled yell.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" he shouted as he jumped back.

"Wuzzgoinon," Fred slurred unintelligibly while blearily blinking the sleep from his eyes. Nikki's head popped up and she looked around in a daze as she tried to get her bearings.

"What are you two doing in my bed?!" George exclaimed loudly. At this point the Marauders were all grouped behind him and gaping at the pair in the bed. Nikki, finally waking up enough to take in the situation turned a deep shade of red.

"Well I thought that was obvious," Fred replied in a sleepy tone. "We _were_ sleeping."

"IN MY BED!" George shouted indignantly. Fred rolled his eyes and threw his arm back over Nikki's waist and drew her back against his body, ignoring her resistance.

"Details, details," he muttered sleepily, his eyes closed. "You can have my bed, now go away." George's jaw dropped open and he began sputtering nonsense.

"Er Fred?" Nikki said hesitantly as she continued tugging at the arm he had circled around her waist. "I think I should go." Fred cracked his eyes open and pouted.

"But I'm _comfortable_," he whined. Nikki smiled slightly.

"Yes, I know, but this is awkward. I'm going to my bed," she replied. Fred groaned, but released her.

"Fine," he grumbled petulantly. Nikki smiled gently at him and gave him a peck on the cheek before sliding out of the bed to stand next to George. Her sudden nearness to him brought his state of undress to her attention. Her cheeks flushed pink and she quickly averted her eyes.

"Like what you see?" George asked for the second time that night. "You know we are identical twins. You might as well be looking at Fred's near naked body right now," he teased her, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. Nikki flushed darker as she avoided making any kind of eye contact with George.

"That's nice," she said faintly as she collected her shoes and scurried quickly for the door.

"Hey wait up," Fred suddenly called out at he swung his legs over the side of the bed and headed after her. Nikki raised her eyebrows.

"What are you doing?" she asked. Fred grinned at her.

"I'm coming too. I don't want to stay here with this prat," he said easily gesturing at George. "And like I said, you're really comfortable." Nikki snorted.

"Uh, no. You can sleep in your own bed… Or George's or whoever's, I don't care. But you're not sleeping in mine," she said firmly. Fred pouted.

"Aww. Why not?" he asked. Nikki gave him a look suggesting that she couldn't believe that he had to ask.

"Because I don't want you getting your boy cooties all over my sheets," she deadpanned. Fred looked confused.

"Boy cooties?" he asked. Nikki sighed and shook her head.

"Goodnight Fred. I'll see you in the morning okay?" she told him. Fred pursed his lips in thought.

"Like see you in the morning when I wake up and roll over?" he asked hopefully. Nikki stared at him in disbelief for a few moments before shaking her head and turning away towards the door.

"Goodnight Fred," she said as she pulled open the door and stepped onto the staircase.

"G'night!" Fred called out quickly before she shut the door behind her. He turned around with a grin and headed to his bed while stripping off his clothes. He collapsed onto his bed with a content sigh once he was clad only in boxers.

"Urg," he complained when his warm skin came in contact with the cold sheets of his unused bed. "My bed is cold," he whined.

"Haha," George badgered him while collapsing upon his own bed.

"Urg. My bed is unnaturally warm," he complained.

"Haha," Fred mimicked. They laid in silence for a few moments before their heads popped up simultaneously.

"Switch?" they asked in unison. Neither hesitated before hopping out of their rightful bed and falling into the other.

"Ah, that's better," they sighed.

"Your pillow smells good," Fred commented after a few beats of silence.

"Eww Fred," George responded with a scrunched nose. Fred chuckled lightly.

"No, it smells like Nikki's hair," he informed him as he breathed in the scent on the pillow. "Have you ever smelled her hair before? It smells really nice." George sniggered.

"You've got it bad Freddie," he told him with a rueful shake of his head.

"Got what?" Fred asked, that sleepy tone slipping back into his voice.

"You're _smitten_ Freddie," George declared. Fred snorted.

"Am not. We're just friends," Fred replied. Four different noises of disagreement sounded throughout the room.

"Oh come on now," Fred protested, picking his head up from his pillow to glare around the room. "There's nothing like that going on between us. We're just good friends," he reiterated.

"Okay Gred. Whatever you say," George said in a disbelieving tone. Fred snorted and pulled his curtains shut.

_Two_ _weeks_, Sirius mouthed from across the room. George shook his head with a grin.

_Three months_, he countered. Sirius's eyebrows shot up in surprise and looked skeptical.

_Stubborn_, George mouthed, pointing at Fred. Sirius smirked and shook his head.

_You're on_, Sirius mouthed. George smirked then pulled his curtains shut and laid down to sleep.

Gryffindor tower was a flurry of activity the next morning. The time travelers and their friends had all been excused from their Friday classes so they could attend Peter's funeral. The girls were all scurrying around making sure that they had their best black robes laid out and that their hair and makeup looked nice, but not flashy. The remaining Marauders were pacing their dorm making sure they all knew what they needed to say for their joint speech that they had agreed to make. For the twins though, it was a very typical morning.

"In my bed!" George exclaimed yet again as they exited the common room on their way to the Great Hall for breakfast. "I still can't believe it." He shook his head.

"Well you better start," Fred groused from beside him, "Because I'm getting sick of hearing about it."

"In my bed!" George was completely ignoring his twin apparently. "Tell me again how it happened, Freddie? I just don't understand how you both ended up in _my_ bed."

"No," Fred grumbled. George turned and gave his twin a stern look, but was interrupted before he could speak his mind.

"Misters Westley, I suggest you finish this conversation in a less public setting while I do my best to forget I ever overheard it," Professor McGonagall spoke from behind them, causing them both to whirl around. Fred looked horrified while George looked positively gleeful.

"Professor!" Fred yelped in surprise. "It's not- What you heard it's not- I didn't-!" Fred stammered. McGonagall raised her hand to stop the unintelligible sentence fragments that were spewing from his mouth.

"I don't need to know Mr. Westley. Now if you'll both excuse me." She strode past them and down the grand staircase. Fred stood back gaping like a fish for a few long moments before running after his professor down the staircase. McGonagall had just reached the doorway to the Great Hall when Fred called out after her, waving his wand discretely at his side thus coating the entire Entrance Hall in a strong cushioning charm.

"Wait! Professor!"

Professor McGonagall turned, looking faintly annoyed just as Fred was shoving his wand back into his pocket. McGonagall opened her mouth to speak when Fred reached the bottom of the staircase only to have her jaw drop open in shock instead.

"Mr. Westley! Look out!" she shouted as she plunged her hand into her robe pocket for her wand. Fred spun back around to the staircase and grinned. A great river of water was coursing down the staircase, only it was no longer stairs, but a giant slide. The water washed off the end of the slide, but seemed to vanish into thin air instead of spill all over the floor. The effect was a giant water slide that students almost had no choice but to slide down. Fred laughed happily.

"Brilliant!" he exclaimed.

"WHEEEEEEEE!" George squealed childishly as he slid down the slide on his bottom. When he reached the end Professor McGonagall winced in expectation, but George simply slid across the floor until he bounced harmlessly off the opposite wall.

"MY TURN!" Fred yelled loudly, whipping out his wand and conjuring a small staircase off to the side of the main slide. McGonagall made a small noise of dissent in the back of her throat, but Fred ignored her and raced back up the steps until he was at the top. He didn't hesitate to throw himself down the slide belly down and head first. He reached the bottom sputtering water out of his mouth and blinking it out of his eyes while George laughed uproariously. Fred shook his head like a dog, spraying everything in his vicinity.

"Probably should stick to more traditional ways of sliding down, yeah?" he asked grinning boyishly. George grinned and shook his head while he clapped a hand to Fred's sopping wet back. Students were beginning to congregate at the top, not sure of what to do with this new discovery. Fred watched as the first one, a Gryffindor of course, jumped onto it and slid down. Seeing him reach the bottom safely and laughing happily others began following suit, some racing back up the steps for another go.

Fred grinned at his brother as they surveyed their newest invention.

"Think it's Pettigrew Approved?" he asked as he eyed it critically. George flashed him a grin.

"I'd say so." Fred nodded his agreement with a satisfied smile.

"Good job Gred," George told Fred.

"You too, Forge," Fred responded as they slapped high fives grinning proudly at the students screaming happily and playing in the water. George grinned as he saw Hermione appear at the top of the slide. She stared, bewildered at the waterslide before she looked up and caught sight of Fred and George standing off to the side at the end of it. She grinned at them knowingly and shook her head. The twins beamed back in response. She chuckled to herself and then slide down the slide, laughing gleefully the whole way down. She picked herself up off the floor and made her way, dripping wet, over to the twins.

"I knew I never should have told you about muggle waterslides," Hermione said with a huge smile as she bumped her hip against George's. George feigned shock and pressed a hand to his chest.

"You think this was _our_ doing?" he asked with a wide smile. "We would never do something so disruptive to the school day!" Hermione laughed and shook her head before turning back to examine their work.

"Well whoever did it is pretty talented. It's quite an impressive bit of magic," Hermione said airily while giving George a sidelong look from the corner of her eye. Fred and George both visibly swelled with pride.

"It just needs one more thing," Hermione said, tapping her chin thoughtfully. Fred and George exchanged concerned looks.

"And what would that be?" George asked with a thoughtful frown. Hermione smiled reassuringly at him before walking over to the entryway to the Great Hall.

"This," she said before waving her wand intricately around the doorway. Fred and George looked at each other and shrugged, nonplussed. Hermione grinned widely at them and stepped through the doorway appearing instantly dry on the other side. Fred's eyes lit up in understanding while George's jaw dropped. Hermione laughed at his expression before winking and waltzing off to the Gryffindor table. George shook his head as though it was waterlogged.

"Fred, I'm in love," he stated dazedly. Fred laughed and clapped his brother on the shoulder.

"I know George. Go get her," he told him. George flashed a wide smile at his twin before jogging off after his girlfriend. Fred turned his attention back to their creation. He watched with a sense of pride as kids laughed and played and forgot about their troubles for a short time.

"I hope you like it Pete," he murmured quietly before turning to follow his twin into the Great Hall, completely forgetting about Professor McGonagall standing silently in the shadows along the wall.

Fred joined his brother and girlfriend at the Gryffindor table full of happy laughing teens. Fred chuckled to himself at the look on his brother's face as he stared unashamedly at Hermione. Fred plopped down beside George and grabbed a napkin off the table and tossed it into George's face. George blinked and looked blankly at the offending paper object as though wondering where it came from.

"You're drooling brother dearest," Fred told him with a smirk. George looked up at him and grinned.

"Ah yes, but that is perfectly allowable because she is _my_ girlfriend," he retorted with a happy grin. Hermione just rolled her eyes and continued to eat her breakfast.

"Mr. Westley," sounded a voice from behind them. The trio turned and was surprised to see Professor McGonagall standing behind them with an unreadable look upon her face looking directly at Fred.

"Er, Yes Professor?" he asked tentatively, remembering the conversation she had overheard that morning.

"Could you please pass me the salt?" she asked stiffly. "It seems the staff table is out." Fred exchanged a confused look with George who just shrugged.

"Sure," Fred said unsurely. He turned and grabbed the salt shaker that sat in front of his plate and handed it to the oddly behaving professor.

"50 points to Gryffindor," she proclaimed loudly with a slight warble in her voice. She turned abruptly and strode up to the staff table. Fred sat slack jawed. A glance to George showed the same reaction while Hermione was looking after the Professor appearing bewildered. Fred followed her gaze to see McGonagall set the salt on the staff table, grab a slice of toast, and leave the room via the door behind the table, surreptitiously wiping her eyes.

Fred turned back to George looking shocked, bewildered, and confused. George returned the stare for a few beats before his lips slowly started curling into a smile. Fred found himself slowly grinning as well and before they knew it, the three of them were laughing heartily.

.

PP*~*PP*~*PP*~*PP*~*PP*~*PP*~*PP*~*PP*~*PP*~*PP*~*PP*~*PP*~*PP

.

Hermione sat in the last row of chairs in between Fred and George out on the lawn in the Pettigrew Cemetery. She dried her tears with her handkerchief and rested her head back on George's shoulder. George had his arm wrapped around her shoulders and gave her a reassuring squeeze. She smiled faintly up at him, receiving a kiss on the forehead for her troubles. She sighed and glanced to her left. She saw Nikki resting her head on Fred the same way that Hermione was on George. As she watched Fred leaned down to whisper something in her ear that caused her to smile shakily. Fred smiled warmly down at her before turning back to the front.

Hermione smiled and turned to her right. Alice and Lily were holding hands and wearing brave faces as tears dripped down their faces. Hermione saw Lily smiled encouragingly at someone and followed her gaze to the front where James stood looking pale and nervous beside Remus and Sirius as they waited to give their speech. The little man at the podium cleared his throat as he finished his monolog and gestured to the boys.

"And now some of Peter's friends from school have a few words to say about their dearly departed friend," he announced in his solemn tone before he stepped down from the podium. James cast one more nervous glance at Lily before taking a deep breath and leading his remaining friends up to the podium. James stood in the center of the podium with Sirius on his left and Remus on his right. His hands were shaking slightly so he clenched them into fists and held them at his sides.

"Peter is-," James's voice cracked. "Was," he corrected, "more than just our friend. He was our partner in crime,"

"Our fellow Marauder," Sirius continued.

"Our detention buddy," Remus supplied with a sad, but wry grin.

"Our brother," James finished, his voice tight. "Life just won't be the same without him. The Marauder's won't be the same without him."

"But we will never forget him," Remus took over. "We will always love him."

"As our friend," James announced.

"As our brother," Sirius added in a heavy voice.

"When we think back on our times at Hogwarts," Remus continued, his voice carrying, "When we think back on our _childhood_, Peter will be there."

"When I get married and my two best men are making their embarrassing speeches about the antics of our past and the hopes for our futures, Peter will be there," James avowed.

"When we all have kids of our own and we're sharing stories of our youth much to the displeasure of our wives, Pete will be there," Sirius stated.

"When we're old," Remus began.

"And decrepit," Sirius added.

"But still as rambunctious and mischievous as ever," James followed.

"And reminiscing on the good 'ole days when we were young and carefree," Remus said with a sad smile.

"Peter will be there," they said as a group.

"Peter may be gone physically, but he will live on forever in our memories," James said thickly.

"Peter readily accepted all of us for who we were," Sirius continued. "The arrogant rebel who was disowned by his own family,"

"The big-headed and spoiled rich kid," James spoke with a sheepish glance at Lily who gave him a watery smile in return.

"The outcast," Remus stated simply.

"Pete didn't care that we all had issues and that we were all so different. He was our friend regardless. He was an important piece to the puzzle that was the Marauders. For that he will not be forgotten," Sirius proclaimed.

"Peter was my first ever friend," Remus said in a quiet, but resonating voice. "I climbed onto that big scarlet engine completely alone when I was eleven. I sat in an empty compartment and watched as kid after kid passed me by, not wanting to sit with the weird kid with scars on his face. Then Peter came and asked if it'd be alright if he sat with me. He didn't even do a double take at my scars. He didn't judge me. He looked past my appearance and gave me a chance. For that, he will not be forgotten."

"Peter-," James stopped and cleared his throat. Sirius and Remus each gripped one of his shoulders in a show of support. "Peter was one of my best friends. He was quick to laugh and was always great for an ego boost, not that I ever needed one, haha," he laughed slightly and the first tear escaped his eye causing him to look down for a moment in an attempt to compose himself. When he looked back up he had a look of utmost misery upon his face.

"Pete died… He died to save my life and to save my girlfriend's life," James said as his voice cracked with emotion. "And for that he will _never_ be forgotten… Thank you," James finished and the three of them left the podium together.

They walked back to their seats and Lily rose to her feet as they neared. James took the last few long strides before he reached her and didn't stop until he had wrapped her in his arms. He buried his face in her hair while she hid her face in the robes covering his chest. As Sirius and Remus walked by them to their seats they each clapped a hand on James's back. Sirius and Remus took the empty seats in the row in front of the rest of them. Hermione reached forward and squeezed each of their shoulders. They both turned to look at her.

"That was really good, guys," she whispered and gave them a wobbly smile as she wiped at her tears. Remus gave her a sad smile in return while Sirius just nodded; still wearing the pained expression he had that whole day.

Shortly after, the funeral broke up, allowing people to go see Peter's grave or go offer their condolences to his mother. Their group waited where their chairs had been until the crowd cleared. Only then did they make their way forward to Peter's grave stone.

They stood in a silent semicircle around the tombstone for several minutes, no one able to find words to say. Finally, Alice knelt beside the stone and rested her hand atop it.

"Goodbye Peter," she whispered quietly. "You were a good friend and I'll miss you. Now there is one less normal one around to balance out our crazy friends." She stepped back after she said her bit and waited. Hermione decided to step forward.

"Goodbye Peter," she said softly as she traced the letters of his name. "I'm proud of what you did. I hope that you're at peace and know that you are a true Gryffindor." She backed away and squeezed George's hand lightly as she passed him on her way to Alice. She wrapped her arm around the girl's waist and Alice rested her head on her shoulder as tears leaked silently down her cheeks.

Fred and George stepped forward together next.

"Goodbye Peter," George started.

"Sorry I didn't trust you before," Fred continued. "I feel like a pretty big git now."

"You were a great guy to know and I'm glad we gave you a chance,"

"I'm glad Hermione and the other's badgered me into giving you a chance,"

"I hope you liked the waterslide we made for you,"

"Goodbye Peter," Fred finished. They turned and joined the other girls. Fred tucked an arm around Alice's shoulders while George did the same for Hermione. Nikki stepped forward for her turn.

"You were a good friend Pete," she started sadly. "I'll always look back fondly on those late night chocolate runs to the kitchens. And just remember Peter, you did good. You did really good." She walked up to Fred and without a word he opened his arm for her and she hugged both of hers around his middle while he squeezed her to himself.

"Thank you Peter," Lily started as she knelt in front of his tombstone, "For my life, for James's life, and for just being an all-around good person for as long as I knew you. You will be missed." She walked back over to stand beside Nikki who removed one arm from Fred's torso and grasped Lily's hand.

"Wormtail, I meant everything I said earlier," Remus started solemnly as he stood before his friend's grave. "You were my first friend and I don't think I ever told you how much that meant to me. So I'm saying it now. It meant the world to me Peter. It still does. I'll miss you."

"Wormy you were a great friend," Sirius started. "I'm so sorry for how I acted before, when I didn't believe in you. I'm sorry I forgot what it meant to be a Marauder. You proved me wrong and this is me asking for forgiveness. I love you man. Don't get into too much mischief up there without the rest of us. Miss you."

"Pete, Wormtail," James started, kneeling in the dirt before the grey stone. "I-I'll miss you. You were a great friend and you proved yourself mate. You did it. Thank you for saving Lily. That means everything to me. It kills me that you're gone. But I just want to tell you that I forgive you for what you did in the other timeline. You've more than made up for it. Rest in peace, mate. I'll see you on the other side."

James stayed kneeling in the dirt for a minute more. Then he wiped his tears on the back of his sleeve and rose to his feet. His eyes sought out Lily and when they found hers she rushed to his side.

"Let's go home."

.

+{}+{}+{}+{}+{}+{}+{}+{}+{}+{}+{}+{}+{}+{}+{}+{}+{}+{}+{}+{}+{}+{}+{}+{}+{}+{}+{}+{}+

.

The group returned to Hogwarts in a very quiet and morose mood. They immediately sought the privacy offered to them by the Room of Requirement to escape the looks of pity they received on all sides. They were collapsed around the room in heaps. Exhaustion showed on their faces; both of the physical sense and emotional.

"I think we should initiate the plan," Hermione was the one to break the silence. Every eye in the room turned to look at her. Fred and George both sat up straighter and all sighs of exhaustion disappeared from their faces. Alice and Lily looked leery and Sirius leaned forward eagerly while James slouched further into his seat. Remus had his face turned to Hermione with his eyebrows raised high in interest, but a look of deep thought upon his face. Nikki sat perched on the edge of her seat, her face rapt with attention.

"The plan?" Sirius asked with interest. Hermione nodded.

"I've been working on it for the past few months. I think now's the time to get started on it. The first couple of steps might seem pretty minor, but in the long run they're pretty big," she explained calmly.

"What are the first steps?" Nikki asked. Hermione opened her mouth to respond, but James beat her to the punch.

"Wait, wait," James said putting his hands up and leaning forward with a hard look upon his face.

"Isn't this a bit fast?" he asked. "I mean I just attended one of my best friend's funerals today. Can't we wait a bit before we go putting ourselves in danger again?"

Everyone sat silently for several seconds, either surprised by his outburst or not knowing how to respond.

"But Prongs," Sirius began slowly, "That's what this is all about. The sooner we start the plan, the sooner we take down Voldemort, and the sooner we're all no longer in danger." James had a sour look upon his face.

"It's different when we're actively putting ourselves in danger," James argued back. "I mean we haven't even graduated yet! What are a bunch of kids going to do against Voldemort?"

"I did it once, I can do it again," Hermione interjected quietly. "I'm older and wiser now; it won't be as dangerous as last time." James snorted.

"Older and wiser by _a year_," he scoffed. Hermione scowled at him.

"Older by a year, yes, but wiser tenfold. I know all of his dirty little secrets and I know how he'll react when he starts getting desperate," she debated back.

"But we could all still die!" James exclaimed heatedly. "Just look at how your little plan went last time! Peter got killed!"

Hermione went white and she sucked in a breath through her teeth. George and Fred both immediately jumped to their feet with angry looks upon their faces.

"Hey!" Fred and George shouted in unison.

"James!" Lily exclaimed in a horrified tone. James jumped to his feet and pointed an accusing finger at Hermione.

"Well it's true! It was her plan! She should have thought it through better!" he yelled angrily. Lily was wide eyed and shaking her head silently with her fingers covering her mouth. Alice and Nikki both sat deathly still as their heads volleyed back and forth between the opposing sides. Remus was looking at James in horror and pity while Sirius looked torn. Fred and George were livid.

"How dare you," George snarled as he started towards James. James squared his shoulders and drew his wand from his pocket.

"NO!" Hermione shouted and jumped to her feet as both Fred and George drew their wands. She moved in front of George and put both hands on his chest to gently push him back. George didn't budge an inch and glared fiercely at James over the top of Hermione's bushy head.

"You mustn't fight! Please, just stop!" she pleaded.

"He has _no_ right to say those things to you!" George growled fiercely.

"No George, it's fine. It doesn't matter!" Hermione rushed to explain. George frowned down at her.

"Doesn't matter? Please, Hermione. I'm not an idiot. I saw your face. You already feel guilty enough about it and he had no right to go shoving it in your face like that. No right," he repeated harshly as he glared again at James behind her. James smirked cruelly at him.

"Oh she already confessed her guilt, did she?" he sneered. George growled in the back of his throat. He could feel the back of his neck and his ears burning and knew that they must be bright red.

"Mione, get out of the way," he hissed. Hermione moved her hands from his chest to her hips and squared her shoulders.

"No," she refused. George frowned down at her again.

"He deserves what's coming to him so please just get out of the way," George said through clenched teeth. Hermione didn't even blink.

"No," she repeated firmly. "He's grieving and grief makes people say and do things they normally wouldn't. You should know that the best of all of us," she said with narrowed eyes. George looked down at her in surprise before visibly deflating.

"But-," he tried.

"No," Hermione interrupted stubbornly. "Now sit back down. We're going to work this out. I will not have another Ron situation on my hands."

George looked uncertainly at Fred. Fred shrugged his shoulders and gestured to the couch. George scowled at him but sat regardless. Fred resumed his seat as well. Hermione and Lily each fixed a firm stare on James until he grudgingly sat as well.

"What did you mean by 'Ron situation'?" Nikki asked once everyone with the exception of Hermione was sitting again.

"Oh when Ron walked out on Harry and me during the hunt-,"

"HE WHAT?!" Fred and George both exclaimed as they jumped once again to their feet looking violent. Hermione rolled her eyes and scowled at them.

"Oh sit down you two," she told them in a no nonsense tone. "What are you going to do anyway? He's not even alive yet. Besides, he came back and Harry and I have forgiven him so it shouldn't be an issue."

Fred and George grumbled incoherently and reluctantly resumed their seats.

"Now," Hermione began firmly as she stared around the room. "We're going to put this silliness behind us and focus on the big picture," she declared. "Defeating Voldemort." James opened his mouth angrily, but Hermione held up a hand and interrupted him.

"I haven't started on you yet, Potter," she said vehemently. James blinked at her referring to him by last name and shut his mouth. "I get that you lost your friend. I get that you're angry at the world for it. Your son was the same way. I get that you want to protect your friends and keep them safe. Again, Harry was the same. But you're going about it all wrong. You're not protecting anyone by putting off the inevitable. Harry went about it differently, but it was equally ineffective. He tried to push us all away because he saw himself as the danger.

"He wasted time and energy and got all worked up for nothing, because nothing would keep us from helping him and being there for him. I think you're also wasting your breath trying to keep us safe. For one thing, I know most of us here would feel better _doing_ something. We would rather be out there avenging Peter right now. Also avoiding the problem, Voldemort, is not going to make it go away. It will probably put us all in more danger because it allows for more time for people to figure out our secret. One already has."

Everyone sat up straighter at this bit of news. This was the first time that they had been together in private as a full group so Hermione, Fred, and George had not yet been able to tell them about their blown cover.

"Who?" Remus demanded immediately.

"The healer at St. Mungos who looked after me when I was taken there after Christmas," Hermione answered somberly. "His name is Daniel Davis and he's convinced us to let him help us." Nikki blanched slightly, but shook her head silently when Fred looked at her questioningly.

"How do we know he's on our side?" Alice asked tentatively.

"How did he find out?" Lily asked in a squeaky voice. Hermione sighed and rubbed her temples as she sunk down on the couch beside George. He put his arm around her shoulders and gave her an encouraging squeeze. Hermione smiled tiredly at him and then began telling the story of what had happened the previous day. There were understandably mixed reactions throughout the room.

"So we're trusting him with our lives on basically nothing?" Nikki sputtered angrily.

"But he kept their secret over all those months," Remus pointed out.

"But he didn't know what their secret was at the time, just that they were hiding something," Sirius argued.

"Yet he could have forced Veritaserum down their throats months ago and forced it out of them, but he didn't," Alice countered.

"Enough!" Hermione yelled over their voices. "The point is that we already chose to trust him and there's no going back now. We'll just have to deal with any consequences."

"What all does he know?" Lily asked.

"All we told him was that yes we are from the future and yes we're here to take down Voldemort. We didn't mention Horcruxes or about Fred being back from the dead or anything. We told him we'd be in touch to let him know what he could do to help and parted with a few death threats for if he betrayed us," Hermione said tiredly as she rubbed her temples again.

"So what is he going to do to help?" James demanded, speaking up for the first time since Hermione had chewed him out.

"I don't know," Hermione said with a tired sigh. "If something comes up he could be useful, but until then we'll just have to wait and see." James scowled at her.

"I still don't see why we have to start the plan now. Can't we wait until after we graduate or-,"

"James, please," Hermione interrupted him as she tried to hold onto her patience. "For one, the first few steps of the plans require us to be in school and I've put them off long enough as it is. Second, the sooner we start putting the plan into action, the sooner we can defeat Voldemort, and the sooner we can all be safe again. Fighting Voldemort is going to be very dangerous, yes. I won't lie to you, and I won't make false promises. We will get hurt, and some of us may die, but in the end it's all worth it," she explained.

"But why is it us that has to do it? What about the adults? Dumbledore? Why can't they do it for us? I mean, we're just teenagers," James asked beseechingly. Hermione frowned for a few moments in thought.

"Because I know what needs to be done," she answered slowly after she had thought about it. "Because I have the knowledge of how it was done before and the experience to know what works and what doesn't. And because I trust that I will do it right or die trying. It's my future on the line. I'm fighting for my freedom and my _children's_ freedom, and I can't sit back and trust someone else to fight for it for me. I can't just leave it up to someone else, even Dumbledore, and just _hope_ that they do it right."

"Mione's right," George agreed in a passionate tone. "_We_ have to fight. All of us. Everyone. The battle, no the _war_, is only lost when no one remains to fight. How could we trust someone else to fight for us? _We're_ the ones with everything to lose. So we've got to fight, and fight again, and _keep fighting_ with every ounce of strength and will-power and magic and- and _guts_ that that we have in us. It's the _only_ way to stop Voldemort. It's the only way to _win_."

They all sat in silence as they soaked in George's powerful words. Slowly they all began nodding their heads. James ran a hand through his hair looking stressed, but then nodded as well.

"You're right. You're both right. I have to do this for my future family," he said with a sidelong glance at Lily that turned her bright red. Hermione smiled in relief.

"All in favor of fighting, hands in," Fred announced with an amused smirk in place as he stood and stretched his hand out in front of him. Hermione, George, and Nikki all immediately joined him, stacking their hands atop one another's. The rest weren't far behind. They added their hands to the pile and soon everyone stood still and examined the faces surrounding them. Fred's smirk turned into his signature mischievous smile.

"Voldy's goin' down."

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_**To Be Continued…**_

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**AN: Okay so I'm going to be starting the sequel ASAP. I've also been going through and doing some minor edits to this story so I think I'll start posting up the corrected chapters also. I hope you enjoyed it! For the sequel I'm still debating on names. I'm thinking either To Keep Fighting or The Fight Begins or something along those lines. I'll take suggestions if you'd be so kind. **

**Reviews are magical things!**

**And last but not least a huge thank you to everyone who may possibly be reading this right now. You're awesome and a part of me may love you. ;) Thank you for making my first story writing experience fabulous.**


	23. In Which Illegal Activities Occur

**Hey everyone!**

Illegal author's note here. Please try to refrain from reporting me. I'll delete it in a few weeks, pinky swear! I just wanted to let everyone know that the sequel has been up for a few months now. It's called Don't Back Down. I don't have nearly the amount of favorites and follows on it as we do here, so I thought I'd post this note here just in case some of you wonderful folks have forgotten about me or haven't thought to look it up. So this is me, just covering my bases. :)

**Hope you're all happily enjoying your summers and spending at least as much time in the happy fantasy land of books as you do in dreary reality.**


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